CASE STUDY
VOLUMETRY
The extension was designed on a single level . This makes it easier to move around and makes better use of the spaces . The whole was designed to accommodate people with reduced mobility if necessary . To prevent this extension from appearing too low and horizontal next to the existing house , which has 2 and 3 levels , the designers created new stepped volumes . The low point is located at the intersection where the existing house and the roofs are gradually raised to the highest point , which is the new chimney . The latter was oversized to give it more presence .
The exterior volumes are also cut out following the shape of the roofs . This division accentuates the verticality , breaks the monotony , and creates a dynamic volumetric play . The proportions of the new volumes also follow the proportions of the existing house in order to avoid any visual break .
The new link with the existing was placed towards the front of the existing house . It was designed as a promenade , like an ambulatory that guides the visitor to an isolated place , set back from the rest of the house . It goes around the preserved glass block wall in an arc , and at a good distance . The contemplative garden was created in this gap .
The new volumes take up the facings , finishes , and details of the existing house . The cut stone elements come from the same quarry as the original stones and were custom-cut to fit in . A copper-coloured aluminium tile facing was integrated in certain places to visually lighten the whole and add an additional degree of complexity . These interlocking aluminium sheets mostly take up the proportions of the stone elements . Other formats were planned to add texture or to cover by hugging the curved wall .
“ We created an extension that coherently complements the original house , as if the whole thing had been built in one go ,” explains François Parenteau , architect and president of 1628 . “ The addition of copper-coloured aluminium tile cladding complements the stone of the façades . It adds a lightness and complexity to this ensemble that remains timeless . It respects the aesthetics of 2004 , while evolving it .”
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