Following the acquisition of land in a small subdivision of 8 lots in Andernos-les-bains, this experienced real estate agent decided to embark on a new construction project. After having already thought and carried out a first project alone, he decided this time to call on an architect and entrusted us with the realization of his project to secure its feasibility and benefit from a tailor-made construction in accordance with his way of life.
As a real estate agent, many properties have passed through his hands. From this experience, he draws many lessons. He knows what he wants and especially what he does not want.
His project ? An Arcachonnaise revisited with contemporary services. The project must take up the codes of this type of traditional dwelling in the Arcachon basin. He started with the idea of a fake farmhouse with a broken roof pitch and the facade ornaments characteristic of the Arcachonnaise, but still left carte blanche… . In terms of layout, the house must deploy a living area of 120 m² distributing 3 bedrooms, a kitchen open to living room offering a very high ceiling (4m), a living room, a terrace with swimming pool and a garage / workshop in dependence .
This project will therefore be a revisit of a historical and very marked architecture of our region. The marriage of a strong identity with a contemporary architecture which is the opposite of Arcachonnaise…. The challenge therefore consists in homogenizing, merging two opposing universes! To overcome this difficulty, we decided to propose a compromise solution. The idea was to soften the contours of these two singular universes so that they each make their way towards each other and come together harmoniously. In a way, we have established a constructive dialogue between the architectural components specific to each entity. To implement this vision, we decided to isolate the two entities within two distinct volumes. The transition between these two volumes will be ensured by the broken side (typical of the basin) imposed by the client which will ultimately form a courtyard for summer evenings or a shelter during rainy episodes. The covered terrace is placed in the center of the facade and constitutes the heart of the house. Its function goes well beyond the purely practical aspect, because it indirectly makes it possible to adjust the levels of the roofs and thus dissociate three distinct volumes of roofs which offer the possibility of playing on the heights of each room and giving rhythm to the construction.
The South facade represents in a certain way the global vision of the project, the way in which the elements are assembled horizontally with each other while respecting the characteristics of the local architecture. On the right side, the Arcachonnaise presents classic structural elements as well as other elements worked in a more contemporary way. The call to the false farm has been lightened and modernized. To maintain the dynamic, the false truss was incorporated into the gable wall. This major architectural detail is very present in the region and plays an important role in giving rhythm to the volumes of the streets. The alternation of trees and ornate faux-truss gables gives the street the attractive movement that one feels intuitively. This project is part of this logic and ensures respect for the rhythm of the street where it is located in order to fully integrate into its environment. The serration has been modernized and presents graphic and contemporary lines. The roof, very sloping and broken, like a “pointed hat” is topped with its traditional spike. The return angles of the walls have been revisited by the use of bricks bringing a presence and a visual lightness in the same way as the frames and ornaments of the openings. The windows are made of very thin “small wood”, giving all its lightness to the work. Overall, the idea was to retain the characteristic elements of Arcachonnaise while giving it a real visual "boost". It is this architectural bias that allows traditional and contemporary elements to coexist.
The central part of the house is materialized by the courtyard. On this volume, we have voluntarily decided to reduce the presence of characteristic architectural elements. This makes it possible to make a very simple transition to the left side of the more contemporary house whose very high roof is almost invisible. These different sets are linked to each other by the courtyard which continues its path and gradually fades.
The west facade, treated in a more contemporary way, has no right angles in order to induce movement and maintain the dynamism of the architecture. It also benefits from large glass openings to let in as much light as possible in the living room and in the bedrooms located just behind.
The east facade is built on the basis of the classic elements of the Arcachonnaise with offset roof overhangs in order to maintain the rhythm of the architecture.
Inside, crawling false ceilings are positioned everywhere, which, combined with the difference in height of the ceilings in each room, makes it possible to open up new spaces and offer a variety of atmospheres depending on the living spaces.
