This project was made for the "A House for..." competition by OpenGap, special mention from the jury.
In collaboration with Benjamin Nicaud. Read more on OpenGap.net
The Land House is a theoretical architecture project, located in the Luitel Natural Reserve, in the french Alps.
The project is to design a house for a land art artist, Richard Long.
Richard long exposed his land art work «Brittany red stone Circle» created in 1978, in the museum of Grenoble, in France. We offer to create him a house on top of the mountain overlooking Grenoble, in a unic landscape. The site, called reserve of Luitel (1262 meters high), located in the french Alps, is a preserved site where no one lives and where the communion with nature is unic.
Richard Long’s art consists into using the framework and materials of nature for artistic purposes. He travels a lot, looking for suitable places to experiment with his art. Walking is the working tool of the artist ; it’s his way of thinking and creating material.
First analysis sketches of the site
Mental maps and diagrams are used to explore the potentialities
of the site
Masterplan of the house
The design of the house meets the very special way of living of the artist. The components of the housing are reduced to the strict necessary, located in the underground core.
The rest of the house is exploded in small poetical interventions with special relationship towards the landscape. A bathroom, a workshop and an alcove are linked to the focal point of the house.
Physical Model of the project, scale 1/1000
From top to bottom : Baths, Workshop, Central space and Meditation space
The baths (25m2) are spaces where the artist can recharge, himself in direct communion with nature. After crossing the creek, a gentle slope in the sparse forest leads to the project. A basement creates three areas covered by timber frame walls : an outside bath, a shower and bath inside. The space can be introverted, with the compact wooden cladding, filtering the view and light, but also outgoing, widely opening its walls, turning the space into direct communion with nature.
The workshop (22m2) is the space where the artist prepares his expeditions, maps his route, develops his pictures, thinks about his own explorations in art. Located in the heart of a rocky outcrop, in height, the access to the workshop is via a thin mineral band, sandwiched on either side by the cliff. This space gives the artist a certain confinement for reflection but also a view on the surrounding forest. This space accompanies the artist in his reflection. The workshop (22m2) is the space where the artist prepares his expeditions, maps his route, develops his pictures, thinks about his own explorations in art. Located in the heart of a rocky outcrop, in height, the access to the workshop is via a thin mineral band, sandwiched on either side by the cliff. This space gives the artist a certain confinement for reflection but also a view on the surrounding forest. This space accompanies the artist in his reflection.
The central space (140m2) is the landmark of the project. Its unique positioning, in a clearing of the dense forest, strengthens the idea of centrality, but also stands back from the site. Built uderground, it induces a very close relationship the the sky, placing the artist in a cosmic dimension. This space allows the artist to retire from landscape so as to rediscover it every morning with a fresh look. The archetype of the house is here reduced to a minimum. It includes a living room, built around a central fireplace, a bathroom and a bedroom.
The meditation space (13m2) fits with the lifestyle of the artist set to the sun’s path. Facing west with a large panorama on the surrounding hills, the building frames the sunset. Two stone walls lead the view on a restricted field of vision, accentuated by the filter timber roof.
