# Oxidizing Copper Rooftops House VDV in Belgium Features a Copper Rooftop that Changes Color By Tiffany | Published 2014-01-23 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/house-vdv References: [dezeen](http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/20/copper-clad-house-vdv-graux-baeyens-architecten/) & [graux-baeyens.be](http://www.graux-baeyens.be/index2.html) Belgian architecture and design firm Graux & Baeyens Architecten has recently built and designed a home called [House](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/catskill-house) VDV that features an exterior that has been clad with completely untreated untreated copper. The house is situated near Ghent in Destelbergen in the North-eastern part of Belgium. Inspired by impermanence, the Belgian design studio layered copper panels that allows for natural color tone changes and natural oxidization, from golden brown to turquoise. The two story home has an irregular layout and is structured as three blocks placed at an angle from each other. The roof structure was inspired by traditional farmhouses around the area. "The typical rural pitched roof house is an archetype that has been really common in Belgium and the northern part of Europe for centuries, but strangely enough has never been seen as an modern way of building," explained the architect on the inspiration behind the roof. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.1/10 - Popularity: 64% | Activity: 81% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) > [Eco Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/ecoarchitecture) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Untreated Copper Facades:** Opportunities exist for construction and architecture companies to experiment with biophilic design and the incorporation of untreated metals, such as copper, for distinctly unique oxidization patterns and color changes in exterior facades. - **Irregular Layout Designs:** Innovative opportunities exist for architects and design firms to incorporate irregular, non-traditional layouts in residential property developments to challenge convention and create unique architectural statements. - **Inspired Pitched Roof Structures:** Opportunities exist for architects and construction companies to modernize traditional techniques, such as pitched roofing, for inspiration in contemporary designs for both commercial and residential property developments. ### Where This Applies - **Architecture Firms:** Architecture firms globally can take inspiration from Graux & Baeyens Architecten to create unique exteriors for both residential and commercial properties using biophilic design and untreated metals. - **Construction Industry:** The construction industry can look at ways to incorporate oxidization and biophilic design into their practices to create visually striking and long-lasting facades for global property developers. - **Property Development:** Developers worldwide can use irregular layouts and traditional techniques, such as pitched roofing, to create imaginative and statement-worthy residential communities that challenge convention. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Green Zinc Paneling Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/folded-house-1.md) - [Modernist Reconfigured Belgian Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/beev.md) - [Green Tiled Extended Residences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sofie-house.md) - [Copper-Extended Brutalist Building](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sirius-building.md) - [Upward-Pitched Roof Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oneill-mcvoy-architects.md) - [Minimalist Townhouse Renos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/townhouse-vi.md) - [Copper-Accented Apartment Blocks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fenwick-st.md) - [Corrugated Metal-Clad Residences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/catskill-house.md) - [Taiwanese Steel Metal Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/double-roof-house.md)