Atelier Dimanche

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.