Maison Carguefaves

The site is located on the outskirts of a protected historic village in South West France. The building location within the property is constrained with the ‘Zone Constructible’ imposed by the Mairie and limited to 3m in height by ordinance of the Batiments de France. The proposal is a contemporary interpretation of the Maison à Patio, which allows the space outside and inside the building to unite into a single entity - physically when the weather permits and visually when it does not.

The building is designed as a rhythmic series of autonomous surfaces, in which the full height windows mediate between blocks of alternately traditional and contemporary materials. Constrained to the single level, the elevations delimit these alternating sequences of material by linear bands, expressed both at the base, by the podium, and at the eaves by the fascia. Panels of limestone are sourced directly from the bedrock on which the property is situated and terminated by quoin stones salvaged from the derelict 18th century barn which the house replaces. These are divided by panels of white painted render and black framed sliding doors.

The arrangement of the building plan is divided into four semi autonomous zones, each facing onto the patio. A master bedroom suite, secondary guest bedroom/bathroom and study, the living kitchen dining area and an ancillary utility/storage zone.

Annual CO2 emissions data (requested in kg/m2/year) was not provided.