Inside and Outside in Perfect Harmony with architect Anja Vissers & garden designer Ludo Dierckx

Transcript

Archicomm Dé Podcast - Episode 2026/1

Host: Patrick Return
Guests: Anja Vissers - architect | Ludo Dierckx - garden designer

[00:11] Introducing Archicomm Dé Podcast and year 2026
Patrick Retour: Welcome to a new episode of Archicomm, the first episode year 2026. Last year we got to start that podcast under Archicomm the magazine. And this year we may continue that with great success. Ten episodes we will be canning, so we may continue knitting. We are guests in the studios of Louwers Mediagroep in Weert.

[00:43] Theme of the episode: fusing inside and outside
Patrick Retour: Today we're going to talk about a trend in home and garden, which is that you completely blend indoors and outdoors. You create an overall picture that's absolutely right, that people can enjoy. That's why we've invited two specialists who can tell you something about that.

[00:57] Presentation of guests
Patrick Retour: These are architect Anja Vissers and garden designer Ludo Dierckx. A warm welcome to you, Anja and Ludo.
Anja Vissers: Thank you very much.

[01:01] Origin of Anja Vissers as an architect
Patrick Retour: Anja, how did you ever start being an architect? How did that start? Meanwhile, of course, you've made a name and fame, but how did it all start? It actually started as a child.
Anja Vissers: I loved to draw. My parents wanted me to go to music school, but I actually wanted to go to drawing school. Finally, through long persistence, they allowed it and I went to the academy from the third year of study. I went there until I went to boarding school, because then it was no longer possible. In the last years at the academy, I started taking interior design.

[01:48] Combination of creativity and mathematical understanding
Anja Vissers: While in high school I did Latin mathematics. I liked to draw, I liked to utility, but I was also very good at math. And so I ended up studying architecture after high school.

[02:05] Motivation for the architectural profession
Patrick Retour: Why do you like doing it so much actually?
Anja Vissers: That has actually always been my dream to build a villa for people that they are happy in.

[02:19] Introducing garden designer Ludo Dierckx
Patrick Retour: Making people happy, indeed. That's also what garden designer Ludo Dierckx does every day. He creates dream gardens. Ludo, you once started out as a garden contractor and landscaper, but today you are at the head of a magnificent company that not only creates dream gardens, but also home extensions, literally bringing the garden into your home. Tell me, how did that ever start for you, there in the quiet Kempen?

[02:46] From hobby to life's work
Ludo Dierckx: I don't know how much time you have, Patrick, to unhear all that. I actually made my hobby my profession. I was born in the countryside. My parents had an orchard and we had a great affinity for all things nature, plants and the soil.

[03:09] Self-taught and first steps into the profession
Ludo Dierckx: I am completely self-taught and I got into this by accident, because during my student days I was in need of financial means to make ends meet for my splurge life. I then started working for a landscaper, just during school.

[03:25] Gradual expansion of the business
Ludo Dierckx: Later I worked somewhere else for one year, but I always stayed with him. We started together. I thought: I'm going to do that for about five years, because I really like it. That year or five has since become forty-five years.

[03:39] From wheelbarrow to company with fifty employees
Ludo Dierckx: I started from nothing, just with a wheelbarrow and a shovel. We have always quietly carried on, until now we are a company with fifty people. We design everything and work very closely with architects, especially with Anja. Not only because she is very beautiful, but also because she is sweet and very competent.

[04:09] Ludo's role within the company and formula for success
Patrick Retour: You are really indispensable in your business. Maybe you could have bulged out a long time ago, but you just don't get there. Somehow, you can inspire everyone and provide the good vibe. Is that the secret to your success?
Ludo Dierckx: The secret to success is totality. I don't do that alone. I've always been good at explaining, so that's already a very important thing. Around me is a whole group of people. I have my son-in-law who does everything in execution and my daughter who does logistics and administration.

[05:08] Continue to work out of passion
Ludo Dierckx: I'm definitely not thinking about quitting yet. My life is quite interesting, I meet people from different professions everywhere. That makes my life interesting. Sometimes it's a bit heavier because of staff, but overall I'm definitely not thinking about quitting yet. I'm 68 and I think I'll definitely still be doing this until I'm 75. After that I might do something else, but definitely not resting.

[05:44] Outlook
Patrick Retour: And what would that be?
Ludo Dierckx: I don't know that yet, I'll tell you later. In another podcast.

[05:52] Recognizable signature of garden designer Ludo Dierckx
Patrick Retour: If I ask you about the Ludo Dierckx signature, that's very recognizable. Can you try to describe that a little bit? What makes that so typical? When I see a garden of yours, I think: that's a Ludo Dierckx.
Ludo Dierckx: I don't know if that's the case, because I actually change constantly. What we try to do is make something with few things that appeals to you, something that captivates you.

[06:17] From working in the garden to enjoying the garden
Ludo Dierckx: If you look at the gardens of the past, we had people who were really waiting on Saturday morning, hand in hand, husband and wife, to work in their garden. We don't find those people so much anymore. They are now the enjoyers.
Ludo Dierckx: A big project unfortunately requires financial resources. The most beautiful works are created there, that's just the way it is. What do these people want? They want to relax and enjoy their garden in their little free time, certainly not work in it.

[07:01] Shift in clientele and expectations
Ludo Dierckx: We used to work for garden enthusiasts, now we work for people who want to rest and enjoy, but certainly not be concerned with details of their planting, outside exceptions.

[07:18] Architectural style and vision of Anja Vissers
Patrick Retour: It's bathing in luxury in those gardens, and I see the same in your architecture, Anja. It's very recognizable, streamlined and yet warm. Can you describe yourself how your work is put together?
Anja Vissers: That came out of my studies. After my architecture, I studied monument and landscape care. I have a tremendous appreciation for historic buildings and combine that with contemporary architecture.

[07:56] New and old clearly distinguished
Anja Vissers: From the point of view of historic preservation, the principle was that if you create something new, it must also be clearly of this time. You cannot build a new presbytery as if it has been there for hundreds of years. That's how I ended up in contemporary architecture.

[08:38] Designing from the inside out
Anja Vissers: I always start from the inside out. It is important that a home functions. The form is always secondary to the proper functioning of a building or home.

[08:57] House and garden in symbiosis
Patrick Retour: That brings us to today's theme: home and garden in symbiosis. What tools do you have to make that whole? Big windows, continuous floors, what else is in the toolbox?

[09:25] Space, orientation and closeness to the street
Anja Vissers: The clients who come to us often have large plots of land. First we put together a puzzle that works. Usually our homes are closed to the street side, whatever clients request, and very open to the garden.

[09:58] Literally pulling the garden inside
Anja Vissers: With large areas of glass, we let the garden do its work. In this way we draw the surroundings, water features, sunlight and seasons inside. This creates tranquility in the architecture.

[10:23] Emergence of collaboration between architect and garden designer
Patrick Retour: It was kind of written in the stars that you were going to work together. We're virtually visiting the Antwerp Kempen. Ludo, how did you actually get in touch with Anja?
Ludo Dierckx: I got to know Anja on the project itself. The customers came to us. It was a project in my own village, which is really a dream for us.

[11:26] Cooperation and mutual respect
Ludo Dierckx: I experienced Anja as someone who is very driven and wants to do everything to perfection. We brainstormed together about the garden. With those large windows you get the garden directly into the living space.

[11:45] Position of pool and listening ear
Ludo Dierckx: We determined the position of the pool together. Anja has a listening ear, which is very important. Some architects push their own stamp too much, with varying degrees of success. You have to work together.

[12:11] Planting and material choices for a young family
Patrick Retour: What flowers, plants and materials did you use there?
Ludo Dierckx: It's a garden for young people with two small children. Swimming pool and playground are central. In the back there is a skate track that grows with the children.

[12:42] Playfulness and low maintenance
Ludo Dierckx: It's a sloping garden. That playfulness ensures that with the same maintenance you get a completely different garden. You have to prune less, you drive it off. Lots of grasses, a modern planting that matches the house.

[13:12] Modern architecture requires different planting
Ludo Dierckx: With modern homes, the planting is also more modern. With old buildings belong old trees and rhododendrons. That has to match.

[13:37] Flowers and coloring
Ludo Dierckx: The lady of the house also wanted flowers. They're in there, but well disguised: hydrangea, spirea, viburnum.
Patrick Retour: Are you staying in the same shades?
Ludo Dierckx: Preferably white, unless people ask for something else. There is also a flower meadow, which gives enormous playfulness.

[14:20] Pick garden and added value to the home
Patrick Retour: There is also a picking garden. That reduces the ecological footprint. I see this garden as adding value to your architecture.
Anja Vissers: Definitely. It is important to get a landscaper involved quickly so that the garden is an extension of the home.

[14:54] Coherence in lines and materials
Anja Vissers: It would be a shame if a garden were to match any home. It has to match the design, both in lines and materials.

[15:11] Usability and everyday comfort
Patrick Retour: You take into account maintenance, children and ease of use. That's important for people to really enjoy.
Anja Vissers: Absolutely. Many of our clients have stressful jobs. When they come home, they need to be able to unwind, and the garden certainly contributes to that.

[15:55] Comfort and wellness in the garden environment
Patrick Retour: Ludo, once again focus on the comfort in the garden. There's a twenty-meter-long swimming pool, beautifully finished. What techniques were used there to really make that a wellness feature?
Ludo Dierckx: The pool is in proportion to the building and the pool house. Twenty meters of swimming obviously requires more than a small pool. There is an island in it where you can sunbathe and put seats. There is an automatic cover with solar, so you have to heat less. The filtration is hydrolysis, which is drinking water quality.

[18:12] Safety for children around the pool
Patrick Retour: There are also children walking around. Is the pool safe?
Ludo Dierckx: Safety always comes first. We put up a fence as long as children are small. In this case it was a chestnut fence. That's gone now because the kids are older and can swim. The cover is safe, you can even walk on it, but you never take a risk.

[19:46] Expanding the business with LD Design
Patrick Retour: You guys have evolved to be more polyvalent. LD Design has joined. You now do additions, pool houses and home extensions.
Ludo Dierckx: We follow architects like Anja, but we also do renovations. People often also want an extension or pool house during landscaping. We draw those ourselves and involve architects for permits if necessary.

[21:13] Craftsmanship and permanent teams
Ludo Dierckx: We work with a permanent team and subcontractors who have sometimes been working for us for forty years. Those people are as important as my own staff.

[21:50] Holiday feeling in your own garden
Patrick Retour: It's breathtaking. Under a thatched roof, with a fireplace in Japanese burnt wood. It feels like a second home in the garden.
Ludo Dierckx: That's also true. When that extension is there, the rest of the house is often used less. You live winter and summer in your garden, open in summer, warm behind glass in winter.

[23:12] Furnishing the pool house
Patrick Retour: What's under that thatched roof?
Ludo Dierckx: It varies per customer. Often an outdoor kitchen, grill, teppanyaki plate, big refrigerator, bar and a fireplace. It's all about the vacation feeling.

[24:35] Architectural project in Zoersel
Patrick Retour: Anja, with you we're going to Zoersel. What's the story behind that property?
Anja Vissers: This is a young family with two children, both with stressful jobs. The house is closed to the street and open to the garden. From living space and night area they enjoy the garden and the swimming pool.

[25:34] Pool house as a full-fledged living volume
Anja Vissers: The pool house can fully open with harmonica windows. There is a fireplace, sauna, kitchenette and sitting area. Winter and summer enjoyment is central. Architecturally, the pool house is completely in line with the house.

[25:53] Pool house design approach
Patrick Retour: Does such a pool house require a different approach?
Anja Vissers: No, actually not. We always start from the client's wishes: how do they live, what do they need, what are their hobbies. From there we start drawing.

[26:26] Energy consumption and sustainability
Patrick Retour: Isn't that an energy guzzler?
Anja Vissers: We work with heat pumps, combined with photovoltaic panels. That makes energy consumption manageable.

[27:20] Unburdening service as a trend
Patrick Retour: Unburdening is an important trend.
Anja Vissers: Our clients are often entrepreneurs or surgeons. They want someone they can trust, who will follow up on everything and save them construction stress.

[28:26] Collaboration between architect and garden designer
Patrick Retour: Specifically, how does that collaboration work?
Anja Vissers: Pretty soon we involve a landscaper. We do a first draft for pool and pool house, but everything is discussed together. Lines, materials and architectural details have to be right.

[29:31] Mutual listening as a key to success
Ludo Dierckx: I enjoy working with Anja every day. She listens and is open to cooperation. You have to pull the same sea together and respect each other's expertise.

[31:15] Challenges in the gardening sector
Patrick Retour: The gardening industry faces challenges such as climate change.
Ludo Dierckx: The biggest challenge is actually the regulations. In addition, you see that in 35 years the season has shifted one month. That is disturbing.

[33:27] Restrictions around water and fertilizers
Ludo Dierckx: Gardens need water and fertilizers. If you invest a lot in a garden, you also want to be able to keep it beautiful.

[34:12] Technical innovations in architecture
Patrick Retour: Architecture also faces challenges around energy and insulation.
Anja Vissers: For us, sustainability has long been standard. I already worked with heat pumps and rainwater recovery 24 years ago. Today we also apply climate ceilings for cooling without air conditioning.

[35:45] Future collaboration
Patrick Retour: There is a new project in the pipeline.
Ludo Dierckx: It is important to involve the landscaper from the beginning. The collaboration has to start right away.

[37:00] Closing the episode
Patrick Retour: Hereby we conclude. Thank you, architect Anja Vissers and garden designer Ludo Dierckx. We were guests in the studios of Louwers Mediagroep in Weert.
Patrick Retour: I am a residential journalist at Archicomm Dé Podcast and Archicomm magazine. My name is Patrick Retour and I look forward to hearing from you soon.