2003-2006 – Villa La Sousta _ Hyères France
Villa La Sousta
Program house extension, transformation and rehabilitation
Floor area 115 m2 (terrace: 190m2) for the extension, total: 230 m2
Place Hyères, French Riviera, France
Client Private
Calendar Studies 2003 / Building site 2005-2006
Engineering Steel structure engineering: CD.3D sarl
Contractors CEF (fabric, concrete structure), EBI (steel structure), EVM (electricity, plumbing), BAR (timber floor), ETS Leone (woodworks), Catalver (aluminium works), SMTEI (waterproofing work), Fantino (paint), Pépinière du Gapeau (garden conversion)
General principles Respect of the site, use of its potential, to offer a perception of the natural environment both from the inside (trunk, foliage) and from the outside (as an external observer from the top of the trees: green extent).
First the house consisted of two levels with external access for each (the ground is inclined). It thus acted as two ground floors. The lower ground floor was built only on half of its surface. Other half will be built by preserving the existing style (white coating and windows with yellow shutters). The project also consists in creating an extension to emphasize the existing building and to connect it to the wild environment.
From the street, the house is almost unchanged, the extension is invisible. It consists to extend the existing ground, adding a « stone » (roof terrace covered with stones) prolonging the upper ground floor and to build a discrete shelter below.
To reinforce the landscape integration, the extension (lower ground floor) is positioned underneath and pulled back from the front edge of the roof terrace covered with stones (high ground floor).
The idea is to create an extension hidden in the vegetation, a space where the inside is in osmosis with the outside. There is a continuity of the wood terrace inside and outside, and red cedar shutters, sliding on several rails, animate glass frontage in a random way. With these large panels, the stone shelter can be opened or closed, it can be protected from the sun or the wind. Shelters can partition space, link or divide as desired.
Construction finally offers four types of different sights according to the level from which one views it.
- From the garden, we are inside a forest with a view on a curved restanque with the geometrical house in the background.
- From the basement, small length windows offer a view to a flat terrasse – trunk level – and to the spa.
- From the living room large picture windows (3 m under ceiling) offers a view to the trees foliage. Inside living space is increase with the huge wood terrace area.
- From the top terrace there is a wide view (green extent on top of the trees) to the sea in the distance.
That way inhabitants can choose their favorite environment depending on the climate, the seasons and the wishes.
Spa La Sousta
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