Koterij
Hyperparaboloid vernacular

with Mara Kanthak & Christof Pearce

„Koterijen“ are ubiquitous elements of the belgian vernacular. The term designates (unstructured amalgamations of) little sheds, shacks and pigeon lofts, often built in a make-shift way in the backyards of Belgium’s typical linear village settlements.

The project is a self-built conversion of a Koterij in Flanders into a reading pavillon. The roof’s hyperbolic paraboloid geometry mediates between respecting the datum of the original Koterij and opening up the structure towards the southern and south-western arc of the sun. The Koterij’s materials – corrugated steel sheets, cheap construction timber and reclaimed scaffolding boards – also emulate those of its vernacular example.