upcycled plastic scales wrap no.ma architecten's dragon house

dragon house: no.ma’s renovation comes alive in belgium

There’s nothing tame about Dragon House, a renovated home by Belgian studio no.ma architecten. The residential project is grounded in thermal logic, rooted in spatial play, and topped off with a bit of design-minded flair. Located in Belgium with views of Vlierbeek Abbey, the home is a daring re-imagination of a once uninspiring structure, clad in a facade of recycled plastic slats. When the clients first approached no.ma architecten, they weren’t in love with the building itself — they were enamored with its setting. Perched with prime views of Vlierbeek Abbey, the original house was a dead zone of disjointed rooms, lacking both flow and connection to its lush surroundings. The challenge was clear: create a home that felt alive, layered, and spatially adventurous, while making the most of the landscape.

images © Stijn Knapen

a complex interior of split levels and diagonal views

Rather than simply refurbishing the existing house, the team at no.ma architecten made the bold choice to start fresh from the basement floor up. The Dragon House received a new high-performance shell that wraps around a carefully choreographed sequence of split levels, interior sightlines, and staggered volumes. The result is a home that moves, offering a playful, interconnected experience of space that shifts with perspective and time of day.

One of the most important aspects of the project is the way it embraces and frames its environment. Strategic use of opaque and transparent surfaces allows for a rich dialogue between inside and out. Large glass panes flood the home with natural light and capture glimpses of farmland and abbey spires, while closed facades obscure less appealing views and maintain privacy. no.ma architecten also introduced two oversized canopies — one doubling as a bike port and the other as an elevated green space — which offer shading, spatial rhythm, and subtle zoning across the home’s footprint.

Dragon House is a bold renovation of a suburban Belgian home by no.ma architecten

the facade of upcycled plastic

Here’s where things get especially dragon-like. The home by no.ma architecten is clad in shimmering plastic diamond slats, the first of their kind in Belgium. In keeping with the project’s eco-conscious spirit, no.ma architecten used upcycled materials to create a textured, color-shifting facade. The unique cladding adds both visual complexity and sustainable value, turning the exterior into something of a mythical creature’s skin.

The plan unfolds like a storybook. Entering through a covered bike port, visitors step into a mid-level living room. From there, a sculptural staircase rises to the children’s quarters and drops into a sunken kitchen and lounge at garden level. Dragon House turns every movement into a moment: red pigmented concrete floors melt into steps, a lazy stair conceals a tucked-away desk, and a suspended net above the kitchen invites levity (and lounging) while pulling light through the core of the home.

the exterior is clad in a facade of upcycled plastic diamond slats