![Garden Room by Indra Janda](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_hero-a-852x479.jpg)
Garden Room by Indra Janda features translucent white walls
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.
![Garden Room by Indra Janda](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_1-852x852.jpg)
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.
![Garden Room by Indra Janda from courtyard](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_11-852x682.jpg)
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."
![Garden Room by Indra Janda interior](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x1278.jpg)
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.
![Garden Room by Indra Janda entrance](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_9-852x1278.jpg)
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 walls were painted with chalk and a new supporting structure was added for the clay tiled roof.
![Garden Room by Indra Janda swimming pool](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_20-852x1278.jpg)
An extension on one side provides space for a new swimming pool.
The water extends out through a gap in one of the walls to connect with a plant-filled pool in the garden, which helps to naturally clean the water.
![Garden Room by Indra Janda spa](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_18-852x1278.jpg)
The original part of the building contains a sauna, a changing room, a shower and a toilet, all contained within a block that slots in underneath the wooden roof truss.
"The monumentality of the old barn is totally preserved," said Janda. "It's not just restoration, it's reorientation."
![Garden Room by Indra Janda glowing at night](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/12/garden-room-shingles-indra-janda_dezeen_2364_col_25-852x1061.jpg)
Janda runs Atelier Janda Vanderghote in partnership with Menno Vanderghote. The pair's other projects include a Ghent house transformed into a bed and breakfast.
Photography is by Tim Van de Velde.
Project credits:
Architect: Atelier Janda Vanderghote
Engineering consultant: Arthur De Roover