Belgian architect Indra Janda has used translucent polycarbonate shingles to create a garden room at her parent's home.
The young architect, co-founder of Atelier Janda Vanderghote, designed the small building to replace another on the brink of collapse.

Simply named Garden Room, it creates a space for dining or relaxation in the garden of the farmhouse property in northern Belgium.
White polycarbonate shingles cover the walls and pitched roof of the small timber-framed structure. These square panels overlap, making them reminiscent of a reptile's scaly skin.

The material is one commonly used for cladding small garden structures, said Janda, but she wanted to make it feel more special.
"We wanted to give the material a new vibe," she told Dezeen. "My father cut the cladding pieces himself, because they don't exist to buy."
The architect said the result was worth the effort: "The material is semi-transparent, which is nice in summer and winter, and gives a totally different feeling from day to night."
Other architectural detailing is kept to a minimum, to amplify the effect. The windows openings are frameless, and the entrance door is covered in the shingles. The edge of the roof is also flush with the walls below.

The building is one of four that make up the property, and it completes a small courtyard. The other buildings include a barn, which Janda also renovated as part of the project.

The brick building was given a new floor, its wall...