Original design project of a country house with elements of Japanese style

Maison l’Estelle is a private home in Moirax, France. The project was designed by François Primault in 2013.

Ordered by

The future tenants, a childless couple, have thought in advance about the approximate plan of the house: two floors and a corner offshoot in the shape of the letter L. Of the interior rooms, they wanted a living room with a high ceiling, combined with the kitchen and dining room; the main room with a bath and dressing room; on the second floor, 2 bedrooms and an office with a bath. In addition, the clients also dreamed of an attached garage and a large terrace. The main desire was to have a wooden house with a modern aesthetic.

At the moment there is only one room upstairs (apart from the study), but its area allows for the future division into separate rooms.

Introduction

An elevated, sloping plot of land provides a wonderful view of the neighboring buildings. Accentuates the landscape with a small farmhouse nestled between two forests, visible from the south. The site had its own specific characteristics: the location and the rare panoramic view.

The elevated location of the building was the optimum solution. That is why the width of the plot is almost entirely built up. This approach allowed the hiding of the occupants from outside views, exposing them to the surroundings. All levels are arranged to enrich the space with minimal interference in the natural landscape.

In its apparent simplicity, the house is designed with the utmost attention to the environment: low to the west to protect it from strong winds, ajar to the north to protect it from inclement weather, wide open to the south and east to offer stunning views of the landscape. A cantilevered, slightly pitched roof will also shelter from bad weather if necessary.

Simple, but not simplistic

In accordance with the wishes of the owners, the architectural design is deliberately simple and not cluttered with details. The individual wooden “boxes” that make up the house characterize its living areas. A seeming simplicity deliberately leads to an original solution – a 5 m protrusion and a window opening.5 .

Tradition overhauled

The materials of the facade of the building and their position are related to the local vernacular architecture. Raw masonry and wood sheathing defined the vertical and horizontal direction of the finishes that encompass the house like “scales”. Zinc sheets anchor the volumes, diluting the primacy of wooden elements.

Constructability

The architect acted on the principle: “A good project is limited to three materials”. The house is made of concrete, wood and zinc. The entire structure is designed to form a solid foundation for the building. Concrete walls trimmed with wood. White spruce trim on the exterior and interior.

Even the cantilevered holding is made of wood: the floor of each floor is reinforced by beams of glued beam, which, united on 4 wooden posts, are securely anchored to the foundation. Larch siding fastened with small gaps to create natural ventilation. The roof and its edges are made of zinc. It also covered the roof of the garage.

Enjoying nature

Far from aiming for a low-energy house, the construction was nonetheless based on a concern for efficient insulation and heat conservation. France’s new thermal regulation “RT 2012” has not yet been enforced. Built on the west side of the site, the architecture (retracted roof, window position) benefits from solar energy (light and heat) in winter, while confining the summer heat to a shaded and ventilated area.

Interior

South and southeast facing great rooms inside. These are the sides that offer the best view of the surrounding landscape. The first floor houses the most essential functional areas (such as laundry) and the main room with a walk-in closet and a bathroom.

The rest of the apartment is located on the second floor: 1 room which, by its area, will be separated into 2 separate rooms, a study and a bathroom with toilet. The furniture is very functional: the hammock reveals the staircase steps, which serve as storage space and a TV stand. Thanks to the same hammock on the first floor creates the effect of a high ceiling, what the customers had dreamed of.

Data courtesy of François Primault.