This construction project comes to register in the very beautiful and elegant area of the « Parcd’Hiver » in Biarritz, melding houses from the thirties, of neo Basque Architecture, with a few contemporary achievements.
The field is accessible through an avenue of pine trees, and benefits from a wooded environment, fully facing south. The architecture incorporates a classical vocabulary, perfectly suitable for Basque country climate: the roof with two slopes in tiles, and white masonry with its traditional volumetric. The central element, a main land yet simple volume, is connected to a smaller one sheltering the parental suite, as well as the entry into western part by two sober hyphens treated in wood siding type vertical battens. This allows one to use traditional volumetric, giving it more contemporary and lighter treatment, while managing several modules in order to create a cut, dynamic architectural rhythm.
You access it on purpose through the western part, in order to enhance the view from the House and the swimming pool toward the south, because the clearance is wider and more elegant. A perfectly natural coating of Naturstab type, for parking vehicles under a steel-made pergola is used, enabling to turn a former architectural vocabulary into a more contemporary one. The pedestrian path is materialized by the insertion of stones or wood ties, leading the visitor to the entrance of the villa. The pergola is backed by a simple volume, hemmed in vegetation and dark cladding that can serve as a garage, but especially for storage sunbeds, BBQ, bikes and surfboards, as well as swimming pool equipment room).
Revegetation preserves the intimacy of the swimming pool part, while grasses and other plants hem the access to the house entrance, staging this area.
In the hallway, we find a cloakroom part, a tablet suspended under the canopy allowing a visual escape to the trees, and rest rooms. The Living room brings together, while giving them a dedicated space, kitchen/dining room and sitting room. The kitchen is separated by a glass wall and enjoys almost all directions: north, south and west to the light of the evening (and a stunning view). The dining room is a cosier, more intimate space, with a beautiful view on the garden through the square box, as if it was a painting. The lounge, overlooking the terrace is wide open on the outside, with a feeling of “inside/outside”emphasized by fully folding picture windows (with shutters for solar protection), but also benefits, through the large bay behind the fireplace, from a gorgeousvisual breakaway on the adjacent properties gardens.
The parental suite is an ample space, very pleasant, North/South oriented. You get a very beautiful view from the bathtub on the “Parcd’hiver” ancient villas gardens, a wide opening on the garden and swimming pool, a large dressing room etc... This floor is dedicated to the 3 rooms, independent, large, and charming with their crawling ceilings...
A small basement, taking advantage of the land’s topography, will be put in under the kitchen,gathering premisessuch as laundry, wine cellar and others.
The inner space is evidently punctuated with vistas of the garden, but also towards the rear of the house on the gardens and the plantsto be, which will end up generating a greatly accentuated feeling of space and volume. The land’s topography is treated gently, reconciling respect of the prospects in the property’s boundaries with the garden’s search for plain-foot and low curves.
