The village of Flanthey overlooks the vineyards on the south side of the Rhône valley. The built core in the area is characterized by odd and unique building shapes created overtime with additions of volumes from different eras. Using the same principle, the new construction resulted in a heterogenic form overlapping the remaining stone walls of a barn. All along the process, the existing walls are carefully protected to maintain the truth of the original patina and to underline the traces of time. Placed on top of the stone and around the openings, sanded concrete highlights the textures and binds the materials altogether under the same roof.
Perceptions of the building changes entirely from walking around the site. The result creates a sequence in which the barn disappears behind the new walls on the street side and reappears on the village side to hide the new construction. Just like a prothesis, the concrete inside braces the structure on the transversal stone wall following the natural slope of the site. It is shaping the interior spaces, main stairs, chimney and a bench facing the mountains. All around the building, the oak openings are framing views on the Alps using the existing holes in the old walls. Sliding wool curtains are hiding closets and modulating the spaces between day and night areas. The materials are simple and assembled in a traditional way with the help of the local craftsmen and their savoir-faire.
Material Used:
1. Facade cladding- Old stone and sanded concrete
2. Flooring- Sanded concrete screed
3. Doors- Oak
4. Windows- Oak
5. Roofing- Tiles, ETERNIT
6. Interior lighting- lamps, BEGA
