Private House In Charbonnières-les-Bains | France | KORTEKNIE STUHLMACHER ARCHITECTEN

Site:Charbonnières-les-Bains (F)
Client:private
Structural engineer:Pieters Bouwtechniek, Utrecht, Jaap Dijks
Contractor:Christian Dörschug, Aichach (D)
Design:2004/2005
Realisation:2006/2007

In the hilly garden behind their tiny temporary chalet a French family with young children wished to build a more durable home. Inspired by a publication of our project house No19 in a French magazine, they commissioned us to design an all-timber house around a small pine tree (‘the bonsai’); a permanent, sturdy and unconventional house for themselves, their many books and their collection of art and design.
Starting-point of the design was the simple volume of house No19 but modified according to the topography of the site, the intended use and the existing trees.
Its sculptural section creates different spaces within the long space that all have their own character and proportions: a wide living room with a high ceiling, windows to all different sides, a large roof-light and folding windows that can be opened completely to the garden; a small and narrow library-space with direct views to the 'bonsai-tree' and a generous, functional kitchen and dining room.
The cantilevering upper floor, another long and narrow volume, is placed cross-wise on top of the lower volume and creates on either side of the ground floor covered outdoor spaces.
The children's rooms are small and simple and share a wide corridor to play; the bathroom has direct access to a roof-terrace and the master bedroom offers at the same time privacy and spectacular views to the surroundings.
The choice of materials is completely sustainable. The construction consists of prefabricated elements of solid timber and was assembled on site within a few days.
For the outer skin imported European larch-wood was chosen, treated with natural stain.
The sliding and folding shutters are integrated in the thickness of the timber cladding, just the 'parking spaces' for the shutters provide for subtle accents of colour in the monochrome façade.....more