PRIVATE HOUSE
VILLA CASA TUA – VILLA CATAMARAN

Program: A 4 bedrooms villa by the sea
Mission: General design + Visa
Location: Lorient, St Barthelemy
Status: Delivered in 2021
Budget : 4 000 000€
Surface : 207 m2

Villa Catamaran: ” Let the cyclone pass “
The project is located on Lorient beach and illustrates one of the solutions totally inspired by the site’s environmental assets.

The project is very exposed to cyclonic swell. For these reasons the small size of the plot as well as these strong climatic constraints have guided the design of this villa..
In order to protect the structure as well as to pursue the logic of the whole cove of Lorient.
An anti-wave wall was designed to protect the foundations during minor cyclonic episodes and to reinforce the constitution of an area that accumulates private constructions.
This wall protects a fundamental infrastructure of the island: the Lorient road, a veritable umbilical cord connecting the north to the south of the island.

However, following cyclone Irma, our research has led us to question the porosity of constructions along the seafront in order to limit the heavy destruction observed along the coast.

The plan of this beach house is therefore made up of two wings which are the protected parts of the house and a central part which is the main living space. The 2 wings of the project, can be comparable to the floats of a catamaran, totally secured by a system of added protective panels. The central part is called the fusible zone and is left open during major episodes in order to avoid accumulating too much pressure which would cause the destruction of the whole building. In other words, water must be allowed to pass through to safeguard the essential.