savioz fabrizzi architectes: Umbau Le Biolley - best architects 14

savioz fabrizzi architectes

Umbau Le Biolley

best architects 14

single family homes

Place

Orsières/Schweiz

Studio

www.sf-ar.ch

Photos

Thomas Jantscher

Description

The cliff-top site benefits from an unobstructed view over the Alps and the villages on the slopes below. The old barn is set at the edge of the road. It has a stone plinth, topped by a traditional log structure with a gallery for drying hay and a pitched roof. Planned as a holiday home, the new project shares the walls of the older building and has three storeys of 16 sqm each. An extension in the basement contains the building facilities. Interventions on the exterior were limited to establishing new openings, renovations and shoring up the gallery as well as a newly designed entrance area. The position of the entrance was retained and it now provides access to the live-in kitchen on the ground floor, from which a magnificent view can be enjoyed through a large opening made in the masonry. On the upper floor is the parents’ bedroom with access to the gallery. The bathroom and the children’s room are on the lower level; the former cattle gate was replaced by a glass door, which now brings natural light into the interior. The three storeys were insulated on the inside where they share the pre-existing walls and completely clad in larchwood. The insulated glazing, the thermal insulation on the interior, and the technical fittings ensure the holiday home the necessary degree of comfort.