2010-2012 – Villa D _ Viroflay France
Program House extension
Floor area 90 m² For the extension, Total : 250 m²
Place Viroflay (Ile de France), France
Owner Private
Team Eric Cassar, Juvenal Rubinos, Celine Lecoute, Nourredine Sehil
Calendar studies 2010-2011 – building site 2011-2012
Engineering Timber work : BET AFCB / Concrete : BET Buchet
Contractors Timber work, cladding, roof covering : BYP / Masonry, finishings : Ent Fernantes / Electricity : Ent Batista / Wood finishing : Artanin / Stained glass window : Atelier FG
History
The house was built in 1920-1930′s, it was originally intended to be a residential building with two apartments per floor. Its construction finally stopped after the first storey. It had a charming south façade, two gable ends and a north façade that resembled a facade of ‘service’ extended on the ground floor with two extensions.
The ground floor
At first we opened the ground floor to the garden, a large bay window and several interior changes made through the living room as an open space.
The elevation
We wanted it to be seen as an addition to the original building. That is to say, it allows the reading of the two eras. Light, we devised a wooden terrace and a large stained glass window as an artist’s studio, implementing our research on architecture-movement.
In the south, the discreet intervention highlights the existing building as much as possible. We followed the initial symmetry and flatness with an element high-up and inconspicuous suggesting what goes on behind while improving ventilation.
At the rear, for the north facade with lower interest, we wanted a more contemporary writing.
On the one hand, the blind wall of the first floor is driven by plants that take root on top of the roof of an annex. On the other hand, a volume in metal seems to fall and defy gravity. This volume terrace catches the light and reflects it to the pool adding brightness, life in the north garden often in the shadow of the house. It breaks the symmetry of the two existing annexes and discusses with the canopy that opens to the sky (sky vs. earth).
The verticality of the existing chimney elongated highlighted by color contrast enhances reading the various oblique and roof terrace.
From the exterior and chamber, the volume of the terrace reflects the environment. Its appearance changes according to the light, the sky and the position of the observer especially thanks to the different stainless steel calpinages involved in reading of architecture movement.
From inside, the terrace favors a connexion with the sky. Perforations let light west in and invite people to contemplate, isolate or to connect (the pleasure to see without being seen as moucharabiehs). Sliding in the interior walls is facilitated by zinc (exterior and interior), which sustain continuity. Seeing all the obliques, the observer’eye is invited to travel space. The glass window angle, a transparent glass bridge, a suspended fireplace, wood, metal stairs, painted cinderblock wall … stimulate the senses of the dweller and highlight the materiality of surfaces …
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