HOUSING MAG
Program: 3 private houses
Mission: General design + VISA
Location: Lorient, St Barthélemy
Status: Building site in progress
Size: 404 m2
This project comprising three private residences is located in the Lorient neighborhood of Saint Barthelemy. A cluster of three homes, the ensemble was designed as a reinterpretation of traditional Creole cottages. To modernize the concept, we reconceived the proportions of the volumes to create a contemporary, 21st-century version of the cottage. Unique in their own way, each of these houses evokes different codes of local architecture, such as four-sided roofs, different styles of wooden shingles on the facades, and traditional stone facing, so that the contemporary volumes echo the island’s cultural heritage. Designed for three members of the same family, each cottage has its own strong identity, yet they are linked via a foundation of shared culture and the utilization of traditional materials.
HOUSING MAG
Program: 3 private houses
Mission: General design + VISA
Location: Lorient, St Barthélemy
Status: Building site in progress
Size: 404 m2
This project comprising three private residences is located in the Lorient neighborhood of Saint Barthelemy. A cluster of three homes, the ensemble was designed as a reinterpretation of traditional Creole cottages. To modernize the concept, we reconceived the proportions of the volumes to create a contemporary, 21st-century version of the cottage. Unique in their own way, each of these houses evokes different codes of local architecture, such as four-sided roofs, different styles of wooden shingles on the facades, and traditional stone facing, so that the contemporary volumes echo the island’s cultural heritage. Designed for three members of the same family, each cottage has its own strong identity, yet they are linked via a foundation of shared culture and the utilization of traditional materials.
Part of the challenge was to succeed in placing three homes on the same plot of land, providing generous gardens yet maintaining a sense of privacy. At the same time, it was important to maintain natural comfort and minimize the use of energy for each of these houses.
Part of the challenge was to succeed in placing three homes on the same plot of land, providing generous gardens yet maintaining a sense of privacy. At the same time, it was important to maintain natural comfort and minimize the use of energy for each of these houses.
To do so, we employed all of the passive systems at our disposition on the site: management of the exposures andorientations; double orientation of the homes to increase natural ventilation; avoiding direct sunlight on the facades by extending the roof eaves, plus the use of pergolas and vegetation; use of ventilated facade systems; and adding coolness by playing with the hygrometry of the vegetation and points of water in order to create microclimates that make the houses naturally comfortable throughout the day.