situated on a forested hill near paris, france, andrea mosca creative studio has realized a private residence for a family of four. inspired by the concept of sleeping under the trees, the dwelling stands out among the natural surroundings, with its unique roofing volumetry incorporating a series of curved triangular tent-shaped structures. 

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all images courtesy of andrea mosca 

 

 

the concept for andrea mosca‘s ‘villa lopez’ originated from the idea of a tent-house, where occupants can sleep under the trees. however, initial design experimentations led to forms similar to a lumberjack house, which was neither the architects’ nor the family’s intent. so, after some consideration, with the thought that when sleeping inside a tent, ‘we then walk elsewhere to do every other daily activities’, this was now a project that combines four different houses into one. 

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the first house comprises a large ground floor imagined as a minimal space where all collectives activities take place: living, eating, talking, receiving friends, working together, etc. the other houses are shaped as three corten steel tents, acting as separate bedrooms, placed on top of the collective house on the first floor. in each of these three separate private spaces, each family member can find their own world. a tent is dedicated to the two parents, while the other two to each of the children.

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on the south-west side of the dwelling, where natural sunlight is mitigated by the corten steel pillars, one can find the living room area, a reading/relaxing zone and the kitchen. meanwhile, on the north-east side, the facade is treated with a perforated stone wall that filters the light and creates an intimate space for the dining room, a bathroom and the office room. upstairs, in each tent, large glass openings offer unobstructed views towards the surrounding forest.

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although it would be more reasonable to build one staircase that would serve all three tents, lead architect andrea mosca preferred to construct three separate ones. in this way, each inhabitant would have the opportunity to access his/her own personal world, at any time. besides that, downstairs, the numerous staircases become the punctuation of the collective house functions.

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the materiality of ‘villa lopez’ features natural elements that can be found lost in a forest. the steel appears rusted, as if it is old and abandoned, while the stone is finely cut but not treated, adding a raw touch to the overall design. the color palette of the house is especially enhanced during the fall season, where the tree leaves adopt similar tones to those of the corten steel.

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project info:

 

name: villa lopez
architecture office: andrea mosca creative studio
location: france

 

 

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: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom