ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
MAISONS DE VERRE À CARANTEC
ENTIRELY MADE OF GLASS , THE HOUSE IS A BOX OF NATURAL LIGHT
The house was designed for a client suffering from a progressive and irreversible loss of sight that would lead him to see only vague shapes . At his request , the light had to be perfect , homogeneous and without glare .
Entirely made of glass , the house is a box of natural light . The complete translucency of the walls , facades and roof create a singular phenomenon inside : a homogeneous and identical light at all points , an impression of cocoon , which isolates it from the rest of the world .
White and black the house is an opalescent parallelepiped , tilted . It is perforated by two longitudinal volumes of black glass in which are installed the utilitarian functions of the house ( bathrooms , storage , kitchen , etc .).
One enters the house through a sheltered patio that protects from the wind and from view , and one can still see the sky : it is a transitional space between exterior and interior .
From there , we access a double-height living space that hosts a living room , an open kitchen and a dining room . Two bedrooms - one of which is double height - complete the first floor .
On the first floor , accessible by a staircase made entirely of glass , there is a large bedroom and its bathroom .
Located in a suburban neighborhood at the entrance to the town of Carantec , the glass house is an unusual object , but its implementation takes into account the regulatory setbacks in relation to the separating limits , while providing a service area and additional parking nearby .
Particular care was taken in the landscaping of the site , in harmony with the plant species found on site : the existing hedges were completed ; the parking lots at the entrance were hidden by hedges ; fruit trees were planted .
MATERIAL
The walls are constructed of double panels of light-diffusing insulating “ double glazing ” ( OKALUX K ) between which the metal structural grid passes , becoming invisible . This glass material is perfectly insulating and offers many advantages : The textile pannels included in its cavity allow shadowless lighting , with daylight penetrating deeply into the spaces .
The result is a comfortable and homogeneous light atmosphere that offers the greatest comfort in the apprehension of interior spaces . Natural light is maximized while ensuring privacy . Only a few low transparent windows allow a close view of the garden .
These panels that give the house a milky white and translucent appearance also ensure perfect solar protection and a limitation against glare , their thermal insulation is excellent , thus helping to qualify the operation as high environmental quality .
LIGHTING
Particular care has been taken with artificial lighting . It has been designed to take up the homogeneity of natural day lighting . The approach was to think about the design of the lighting from an internal point of view , taking into account the life within the house and trying to make the space pleasant to live and practical .
The principle chosen was to elaborate a lighting system that is fixed to the roof structure . This is complemented by a series of peripheral spotlights aligned along the façade .
When night falls , the house lights up like a lantern , emitting a soft and diffuse light .
www . odiledecq . com
PAGE 93 - ARCHETECH