R2A architectes

Description

The approach is from above. The house appears as a blackened monolith, a silent block without overhangs or special design effects. It is in the section that everything comes together: split levels, access points and living spaces are organised vertically. The land becomes a matrix; the house does not deny the topography but clings to it. Access is aerial. Although the openings are generic, they offer specific framing. The «non-composition» of the façades is a result of the interior complexity. There is a Piranesian dimension here. The staircase is a typological element that makes the house adaptable, from one to two dwellings, according to needs. One does not pass through rooms but through sequences. The heights vary, the landings become interior belvederes, and the journey ends with a rooftop patio. Inside, the materials change but the radicalism remains. Raw concrete structures the space, while light wood brings warmth and tactility. Sanded floor screeds combine the minerality of the core with the softness of wood. Concrete forms the backbone, wood the skin.