The purpose of this project was to protect the intimacy of its inhabitants while projecting them into the landscape. This particular landscape is a south and east composition of a canopy and a clear view on the mountains. During the winter, the leaves falling give the way to the beautiful Annecy’s lake.
The house presents itself from the public point of view with a sober face which is also used as a north thermal buffer space but then turns around the inhabitant experience by throwing him into the landscape once he sets foot in the living room.
To respect the site and its particularities, the house is built on stilts. The height on the south side is sufficient to let the natural light flow under it and give the area back to the nature.
Although this house made its owners happy and architect proud, it seems that it is protecting itself from something. It is because of the conservative context and authorities which were really hard to convince. That’s why it is treated as a 100% steel shell from the public point of view, yet still offering a glasshouse experience for the inhabitants who were sadly not the only project ownerships in this architecture.
And finally: we were denied a flat green roof by the town hall which would have allowed more freedom and when they saw the house, they confessed that the green roof would have been the best choice. And a year later, they rebuilt their city hall… with a green roof.
The house presents itself from the public point of view with a sober face which is also used as a north thermal buffer space but then turns around the inhabitant experience by throwing him into the landscape once he sets foot in the living room.
To respect the site and its particularities, the house is built on stilts. The height on the south side is sufficient to let the natural light flow under it and give the area back to the nature.
Although this house made its owners happy and architect proud, it seems that it is protecting itself from something. It is because of the conservative context and authorities which were really hard to convince. That’s why it is treated as a 100% steel shell from the public point of view, yet still offering a glasshouse experience for the inhabitants who were sadly not the only project ownerships in this architecture.
And finally: we were denied a flat green roof by the town hall which would have allowed more freedom and when they saw the house, they confessed that the green roof would have been the best choice. And a year later, they rebuilt their city hall… with a green roof.
