spray architecture inserts two-container home at the edge of the woods in france

spray architecture inserts two-container home at the edge of the woods in france
all images © jelena stajic

for a house located in meuse, france, spray architecture has added to an old pasture land ‘un dernier voyage’, a project designed as a place for creation and ideal to seek inspiration. the property is found at the end of a small village and a few meters away from the edge of the woods. these woods are populated with contemporary and land art works by artists and designers of the whole world that come to this countryside.

the artistic feeling of the house is felt since the entrance 

the home is composed of two containers: one serves for living, while the other is a sculpture workshop. the ‘living container’ is supported by a metal structure that elevates the volume from the ground. the plan is a twenty-meter rectangle by six-meter, widely open to favor a fluid circulation and a flexible interior layout. the bedroom and office are connected to the living room by a wide corridor that allows for the display of sculptures. two terraces were added to the volume, a covered one in the southwest where the entrance is, and another one on the northeast along the length of the house.

the house and carving workshop stand in the hillside like two black monoliths

the design wanted to follow the brutalist principles of materiality by exposing the metal structure, steel sheets, technical equipments and concrete floor. outside, the black painted containers appear like monoliths that contrast with the rural landscape. the façades have been vertically drilled, either by french window openings, or by fixed windows which frame the nature and play with the crossing axis of the plan. thanks to the ‘workshop container’ being planted at the same angle, the house seems to be doubled.

two terraces were added along the width of the container

one of the terraces can be reach from all the rooms of the inside

the corridor serves as a showcase for the artist’s sculptures

the open plan favors a fluid circulation and flexibility of the interior layout

plan

longitudinal section 

north facade

illustration

project info:

location: meuse (55), france
client: private
stage: built on august 2014
surface: 110 m²
cost: 180 000 – excluding tax
architects: spray architecture & gabrielle vella-boucaud (www.sprayarchitecture.com)
photographer: jelena stajic
illustrator: thibaut rassat (www.thibautrassat.com)

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom