Atelier Dimanche
Maison M
best architects 22
renovation and addition
Place
Flanthey, Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Michel Bonvin
Description
The village of Flanthey overlooks the vineyards on the
southern side of the Rhône valley. The built core in the area is characterised
by unusual and unique building forms 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 through the process, the existing walls were carefully protected
to maintain the integrity of the original patina and to underline the traces of
time. Placed above the stone and around the openings, sanded concrete
highlights the textures tying the materials together under the same roof. One’s
perception of the building changes entirely when one walks 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 prosthesis, the concrete inside braces the structure on the
transversal stone wall following the natural slope of the site. It shapes the
interior spaces, main stairs, chimney and a bench facing the mountains. All
around the building, the oak openings frame views on the Alps using the
existing apertures in the old walls. Sliding woollen curtains hide closets and
modulate the spaces between daytime and nighttime areas. The materials are
simple and assembled in a traditional way with the help and knowledge of local
craftsmen.