settling by the shore of the ire river in chevaline, france, ‘la charbonnière’ by collectif exercice is a primeval-looking cabin built along with eleven other ephemeral wooden structures, for the 2020 edition of the ‘fête du lac’ festival nearby the lake annecy. drawing from the local context, the design stacks tiered logs to form a  charcoal pit-like hut that punctuates a large-scaled pathway, open to hikers and strollers in the area.

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 1
all images courtesy of david foessel

 

 

while creating ‘la charbonnière’, collectif exercice was deeply influenced by the local context, both in terms of materiality and historical background. the wooded slopes of the ire valley used to be the main charcoal supply for the local blast furnaces, while coal markers chopped young oaks and beeches to arrange charcoal pits near the banks. with this in mind, the collective designed and built the wooden shed, following the construction methods of the former charcoal pits, which could once be found scattered across the ire river.

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 2

 

 

the hut emerges as a primeval-looking shed, slender, mildly conical, with ‘its lopsided shape telling the story of a precarious balance’ as the collective mentions. meanwhile, a stacking of upright and tiered logs forms a ‘cloak’ wraps around its entirety. walking around the object, one singles out an entrance, guiding to a dark gallery whose walls are made of soot-blackened timber. at the heart of the shed, the open top of the tall chimney draws visitors’ eyes to the sky.

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 5

 

 

collectif exercice entirely designed and built the shed thanks to the local wood industry, as they jointly worked with a sawmill and local lumberjacks from the lake annecy region for all the wood prepping. the structure was made with coniferous rafters that were evenly treated using the japanese technique of ‘wood burning’, involving torches. rafters were stacked following the process of openwork beam constructions, which were then bound and screwed together.

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 4

 

 

the structure is then covered by a layer of logs called the ‘charbonnettes’ made of various wood species. these logs echo the wide range of trees of the surrounding forest from birch and ash to beech. methodically sorted out according to their diameters, the ‘charbonnettes’ were then tiered into five rows of decreasing sections. they were staggered and attached to the beam structure, with the help of hooks and wires.

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 6

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 3

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 7

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 8

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 9

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 10

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 11

the exercice collective designed and built la charbonniere a wooden structure in the french alps 12

 

 

project info:

 

 

name: la charbonnière
architects: collectif exercice
project team: vincent vergain, nicolas vallée, nicolas bien
competition: le festival des cabanes 2020
location: chevaline, haute savoie, france
photography: david foessel
video: étienne duval – yo studio

 

 

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