House in Port-d Alon

A 50m² house extension Situation : a bucolic house on the côte d'Azur. Strong Mistral wind, but a magnificent 220° view to the Medirraneen. Land : a 3000 m² terrain, sloping up towards the main vie. Existing construction: a 250 m² stone house, built in 1965. The bedrooms are on the ground floor. The living room and the day-time spaces display the full panorama to the sea along a full length terrace Client : an adventurer ! He bought the house to a friend on intuition. He had no idea whether he would keep it or sell it immediately. Analysis of the situation : 40 years after its completion, the house has become obsolete. 1/ The new neighbour's house now ruins the main view from the terrace. 2/ Since the 1973 law on 'public acces' to the shore, a continuous line of tourists walks between the house and the sea from june to September. 4/ The typology of the living spaces is obsolete : small surfaces and north orientation don't match contemporary uses of such houses anymore. 5/ The structure is well built. Tests reveal it strongly founded on the rock, and capable to support heavy overloads. Urban Regulations : 50m² max extension, traditional roof tiles, restrained constructible area -already filled by the existing construction-. In the 50es, the rules didn't anticipate swimming pools to be so popular. When strictely applied though, the rules describe a kind of a NY-delirious-like hamburger : One piles up the extension, then the pool on top of the existing, and presses untill the height requirements are obtained… Proposal for ground floor : The fresh and confortable existing bedrooms will remain as such. The house extension on the top floor will cantilever south to shell a garden terrace protected from sun. A new corridor will connect it directely to the entrance. Proposal for the top floor : It will be entirely demolished, and rebuilt specificaly according to the following : 1/ Different remarquable views will be focused within « living frames », excluding undesirable objects. 2/ The frames define sorts of « caves ». The shadow, plus the reflection of the glazing, will protect the intimacy of the inhabitants from views. 3/ The programming of this floor follows the sun : bedrooms to sunrise, living to full south, and whisky-wooden-library to the sunset. 4/ The north façade is kept unchange. It's the political conservative façade... 5/ The concrete walls are coloured, camouflaging the new superstructure againts it's natural green background. Roof proposal : from a certain height, the foregroung becomes anecdotic. The roof is an accessible space too. 1/ An edgeless pool describes a 360° artificial horizon, « drowning » the tourists under it's level for a recovered and full intimacy. The terrace is an island. 2/ The pool is black. No bottom reflections. It' surface adjusts and matches always the colour the sea, gray, white, blue