Coexistence — Château de Monte Chandeniers, FR
Trying to escape the speed and noise of the cities, as architects we often relate our thoughts to a platonic retreat, typically located in a context that is systematically and programmatically different to the urban context we live in. We subconsciously mirror our day-to-day reality. Design architecture within nature has always been challenging.
As easy it may seems at the very beginning, due to the endless opportunities and tools that nature offers, it always happened to be quite hard down the road when the time comes on putting together an architecture that deeply understands what kind of relationship should be instated between the two components. Canonic elements of architecture don’t make us relevant here; ephemeral yet untouchable conditions are driving forces instead.
The first question that arises is:
Our aim is to put forward an architectural proposal that treasures the core values around nature and generates spaces that celebrate it. We believe in aging as a form of beauty. The design explores concepts of both simplicity and complexity through the idea of a living process that age with and within, rather than simply being a final product.
The design of the tree house module revolves on the construction of spatial representations of the flow of human experiences through appropriating natural and raw materials such as wood and glass. Wood has an effortless way of expressing its age and history alongside the story of the human use and the climate interference, while frameless glass has been selected to allow the user’s experience to penetrate the surface and providing a broad sensory experience that no longer allows the dominance of vision.
The tree house module structure has been designed using interlocked wooden beams that create a platform based on a 750x750 basic module. The same platform will be used for both, slab and ceiling. The voids that the grid generates will be filled according to the program trying to maintain the architecture as much lighter as possible.
The experiential journey begins on a connection bridge that leads to an open plan with no obstructions of any sort.
Wrapped by a continuous frameless operable glass perimeter, it allows for maximum transparency and a consequential blending with the surrounding landscape. Lightweight partitions and furniture to complete the space generating virtual transitions and thresholds, while just enough outdoor terrace all around grants an extension of the interior outside when the glass wall is fully open.
Episodic skylights open the view to the crow shyness while at the same time allow natural light filtered by the leaves to come through form above. Structurally secured to the tree, that penetrates the interior space, and reinforced by steel cables to provide additional stability.
The module between trees follows the same logic. Making sure the two have a clear and identical design grammar, we maintained the basic module considering construction efficiency and duplicability. Every room responds to a function and generates a malleable composition able to adapt to a multiple site conditions. Rooms are connected through an outdoor covered walkway.
While living and sleeping are located opposite to each other, all the services, like bathroom and sauna find place in between working as connectors making sure the two can exist/coexist independently. While rooms are physically separated to one another, fully glazed perimeters allow for constant eye contact between them and for the landscape to be fully experienced and furnish no matter in which room you find yourself in.
To grant privacy the bathroom has been fully screened with aluminum louvres. Lifted 1 (one) meter above the ground via punctual foot to make sure the intervention would be as less invasive as possible and to allow the landscape passing through.
The goal of this exercise has been to develop an experience that allows the user to Live with the trees and not on or between them.