A House That Takes Height With Wood

Initially Bungalow, this townhouse Montpellier became too small for a larger family. The decision is an elevation taken in the interests of optimal integration.

Technical

House area: 160 m²
Land area: 400 m²
Year of construction: 2005
Woods used: Red cedar for siding and ipe siding to the ground and

Why choose wood?

The wood seemed ideal for this type of building, because it was a light, corresponding to the load bearable by the existing house. The wood also allowed ease of assembly, and gave us the opportunity to retain a Mediterranean style. The cedar used in harmony with the area and the house fits perfectly into the landscape.

The site

The elevation should respond to issues of ergonomics and integration into the urban landscape.

Detailed Home

We borrow the wooden stairs to access the living room on the 2nd floor.

The orientation of the cladding keeps the privacy of the home.

Cooking, 2 e floor, offers direct access to the roof terrace.

From the roof terrace pon can contemplate the heights of the city.

Three questions for the architect

1. Could you briefly describe this project?
After removing the roof to create the media house, we told the assembly of walls and floors to a company that was able to work independently. Finally, we carried out the interior finishes of the house. In all, the project took ten months and the project proceeded as planned from the beginning to the end.

2. What did you like most about this project?
Having successfully integrated the house in an urban landscape gives me satisfaction in size. The contrast of the different materials of the building façade component works quite well. The challenge was to create harmony with all homes in the neighborhood and that's what we did! And then creating a living space on the 2nd floor was for us a great first: this arrangement was made without any particular difficulty.

3. To this wood there benefits?
The wood has many advantages, a technical point of view as aesthetics. For this house, it was not the start of a special request of customers, but it has emerged as the most suitable material for this elevation. In fact, wood was the only material capable of offering us a good compromise between flexibility of use and aesthetics.

The garden, a piece of nature in the city.

The electric winch for hoisting provisions to 2nd floor without effort.

Day and night, returns home a cozy look.

The elevation creates a harmony between wood and cement, with a predominance of red and gray colors on the walls.