Bioclimatic construction

The context. The starting point was not a building, but a landscape. The quest for a central and accessible place led us to this 4000 m² plot open onto an immense plain. The major constraint was ethical: preserving agricultural land. The challenge was to install a reversible construction, respectful of soils and allowing continuity of the farmer's activity exploiting the land.

Bioclimatic architecture. We made the radical choice of immersion: no fence. The house sits in the meadow, cows graze in front of the facade. The aesthetic aims for simplicity: a compact volume of 30 m² floor area, a "cabin" seeking discretion. The due south orientation and total wood fiber insulation make heating almost unnecessary (500W backup).

An evolving design. Constrained by budget and time, we designed the architecture as a giant "LEGO". The timber frame structure was modeled piece by piece in 3D, then pre-cut at the sawmill. In parallel, we imagined a phasing of the shell: build the ground floor and roof first, then, years later, remove the roof to add the floor without touching the structure already in place.

A participatory build. Carried out with two friends and helped by our circle, this build was a human adventure. My role as architect was to transform technical complexity into a building game accessible to all. From the design of wall-panels, to the prior cutting of all structural sections, to the management of the participatory site, everything was calibrated to make this self-build accessible without compromising on thermal and ecological issues.