- Area: 300 m²
Text description provided by the architects. Located near Aix-en-Provence, in arural area, this project plays with the typology of agricultural farm houses architecture. The clients' brief was the refurbishing of this "mas provençal" facing an olive tree field. They were in demand of a strong contemporary element that could bring a totally new identity to the house. The architects therefore proposed to replace the formerfarmhousepart of the existing construction, which was slightly difficult to adapt because of its minor construction quality and it's chaotic partition, by a new timber frame structure that will host a spacious living room and the "en suite" main bedroom. The preserved part of the existing construction being dedicated to the children and friend's rooms.
The strong element of the project is the rusty steel facade of the adding volumes. This facade is made of industrial steel sheet that have been left to rust under the olive trees, then fixed and varnished on site, before to be randomly shaped and implement by the craftsmen.
The interior design use the same steel vocabulary that can be find in different elements such as stair, doors or glass partitions. The insulationis made of blown in cellulose filling in addition with an exterior wood fiber insulation that insure a high summer protection.
In order to benefit of a maximum solar gain, the timber frame extension is widely open on is south facade. It is shape around an old oak that insure a natural solar protection. To complete aperfect control during the warm period of the provençal summer, all openingsare fitted withmotorizedswiveling slatsblinds.
