The
house in question, an old one picturesquely situated at the top of a
2,400-square-metre sloping site, is located not far from the historic
town centre of Germain-en-Laye in the western environs of Paris. The
buyer needed more than the 100 square metres of living space that the
building could provide for his large family, yet the grounds, which
include a huge old lime tree at their heart, were not designated for
development. The task of the architects was thus to resolve this
conflict.
Architects: Hertweck Devernois Architectes Urbanistes, Versailles
Location: Saint Germain-en-Laye, Paris, France
Architects: Hertweck Devernois Architectes Urbanistes, Versailles
Location: Saint Germain-en-Laye, Paris, France
The
planners came up with a design that practically disappears into the
earth, and thus managed to fulfil the client's wish while reconciling it
with the need to preserve nature and keep the property unbuilt. The
information that it would barely be possible to see the house extension
from public areas or on Google Earth swayed the local planning
authority, and a building permit was duly granted.
The
design was realised as put forward in the plan. As a result, a single
clean incision sweeps along the slope, the earth rising towards the top
and falling to the bottom to form a narrow fissure closed by a
continuous band of windows. The glazed façade zigzags in a semi-circle
around the old tree for a kind of protected green courtyard situation.
The south-west alignment is ideal for the cave-like building in solar
heat gain terms while the covering in earth protects its interior from
undue heat and cold.
The
entrance to the extension is at street level and dips into the earth
next to the garage, leading downwards via a staircase behind which a
bathroom, toilet and technical installations room are situated – the
only rooms without daylight illumination. The rest of the building is a
fluid series of spaces with cooking, eating, living and playing
facilities. A staircase at the eastern end leads up to the main house,
which is where the bedrooms and further bathrooms of the five-member
family are located.
Project data
Origian usable space: 100 m²
Usable space of extension: 320 m²
Structural engineer: Bollinger Grohmann Ingenieure, Paris
Completion: 2013
Costs without VAT: Euro 600,000
Origian usable space: 100 m²
Usable space of extension: 320 m²
Structural engineer: Bollinger Grohmann Ingenieure, Paris
Completion: 2013
Costs without VAT: Euro 600,000
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