Woodstock
Every Nobel project begins with a tree. At Woodstock Forest House, that connection returns almost literally to the forest. Set beside a river in the Belgian Ardennes, this home grew from a shared understanding of the landscape, its materials and the people who know how to work with them.
Built from its surroundings
BC architects & studies brought together craftspeople, engineers, local producers and researchers to create a residence closely connected to its surroundings. Its principal materials were sourced, processed or applied within a radius of thirty kilometres. Stone, wood, earth and clay emerged from the region itself.
Natural-stone volumes laid in lime mortar and insulated with hemp rest on layers of compacted gravel rather than concrete foundations. Local earth and quarry residues became rammed earth and clay plasters. Above them, the timber structure responds to the river’s changing levels, while glazing and a movable façade allow the house to open towards the landscape.
From tree to interior
Nobel Flooring’s contribution began with the larch trees growing on the estate. Each tree was selected and assessed before being felled. The material already present on the site became part of the starting point, and the possibilities within each trunk helped guide what followed.
The timber was sawn, dried, planed and prepared to size. Among the resulting elements were room-length planks measuring up to seven metres, produced in varying widths, lightly brushed and finished in a bespoke colour with a soap treatment developed for the project.
Those lengths give the grain room to continue across the interior. The varying widths preserve the differences between the trunks, allowing the character of the trees to remain visible within the architecture.
One pair of hands to the next
Once Nobel had selected and prepared the material, WØTI carried it forward into the bespoke interior. Wood, knowledge and responsibility passed from one partner to the next, each understanding what had come before and what the following stage would require.
That continuity depended on trust. It allowed the timber to move from forest to workshop to interior without losing its connection to the place it came from.
The forest, carried forward
At Woodstock, the material remains connected to the place it came from. The length of the planks, the grain running through them and the timber continuing into furniture and joinery keep the trees present within the architecture. For Nobel Flooring, this is what makes the collaboration meaningful: wood given a new purpose while carrying its history forward. Explore the complete project and watch the film to experience Woodstock in its setting.
