Hennuyères

This project is representative of measured renovation, adapted to the context and based on the enhancement of the existing building as the primary responsibility.

The plot is located in the central part of an initially larger, fragmented complex, which was then sold as separate lots by the previous owner. For a long time, this last piece of land was kept as a farm, wedged between the traces of the latest housing epic and the density of the woodland below. In an upper corner remains the remnant of a farmhouse built naively and illegally in the past. Its advanced state of disrepair and dubious stability were the starting point for the project.

The distance from the road and neighbouring buildings, as well as the topography of the site, offer many advantages here; these conditions allow the use of a substantial area of land that cannot be built on. This enclave situation is ideal for planning single-family housing with an ecological vocation, as initially requested by the residents. Relocating the dwelling to this much-appreciated little hinterland exposes it to nearby nature and offers the grounding and daily tranquillity so coveted. Characteristics of an isolated site with naturally blurred contours.

In addition to the essential integration into the landscape and the relationship with the direct environment, the approach consists of extending the existing volume, in a two-thirds/one-third ratio, existing and extension respectively, in line with a seasonal compartmentalisation scenario; the building benefits from a position and orientation conducive to bioclimatic aspects and suggests the occupation and heating of the premises. Additional inertia is provided by internal straw-bale insulation, an imposing scenario that the building absorbs without constraint, while maintaining acceptable interior surfaces and preserving the original façades.