SPE House in Spéracèdes, France by ELLENA MEHL Architects

Article source: v2com

The house is located on the French Riviera, at the very end of a small road, in a old hamlet built around a local spring that has been known since before the XIX th century.

Built on the side of a hill, the landscape follows horizontal lines, formed by terraced gardens and stone walls also called “restanques” in the south of France.

double glazed facade – bedroom, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

• Architects: ELLENA MEHL Architects
• Project: SPE House
• Location: Spéracèdes, France
• Photography: Hervé ELLENA
  
• Software used: ArchiCAD
• Areapo: 120 m² on 2 levels

corner : steel and glass, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

Although built less than 40 years ago, the main house is typical of provençal houses : rectangular, compact, and symmetrical with a stone framed entrance at the centre, and with small windows and terracotta tiles.

This is a landscape project.

The extension is set within the existing terraced planes, between the main house and the stone walls, redefining new intersection lines in the landscape.

reflection, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

closed curtains, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

The main level is connected at half level to the house using reshaped existing stairs.

With wild grass covering the terraced roof, the addition merges in completely with the existing “restanques”.

The house extension consists of 3 intersecting planes: glass, stone and grass.

double glazed facade, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

stones and glass, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

Glass revealing the surrounding landscape, Grass on the roof-garden, Stones resembling the existing terraced walls.

To achieve this minimal design, the architects have used plain 10 mm sheet steel to join the 3 planes vertically and horizontally.

Inside the main room, the concrete roof is curved to follow the level lines and the slope.

walls and extension, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

green roof detail, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

The extension consists of:

– A complete basement, connected to the main house kitchen with 2 cellars, boiler and solar heating room.

– A master bedroom facing out on the landscape, a dressing room and bathroom looking out over the terraces.

Main façade consist of a double glazed wall with single 10 mm toughened glass on the outside and standard glazing walls on the inside with a roller blind in between.

bedroom, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

Openings are on both glazed walls.

The thermal summer comfort, though exposed to the south is optimal throughout the year, thanks to the double glazed wall and the half buried in the ground setting of the house.

double glazed wall, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

opening of the external glass wall, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

About ELLENA MEHL Architects

Hervé ELLENA and Stéphanie MEHL are working together for more than ten years.

Their work ranges a wide diversity of projects, programs and scales.

With an acute sense of drawing and details they juggle with good ideas and obvious reality !

The bathroom, Image Courtesy © Hervé ELLENA

main floor plan, Image Courtesy © ELLENA MEHL Architects

Section, Image Courtesy © ELLENA MEHL Architects

Detail on the double glazed wall with steel frame, Image Courtesy © ELLENA MEHL Architects

Tags: France, Spéracèdes

Categories: ArchiCAD, House, Residential

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