The ArchiCOTE 2018 Private Dwelling Prize was won by Patrick Verbauwen, who focuses on the human aspects when designing private homes and special-needs facilities.
Tell us about your career in architecture.
"After graduating from the Ecole d'Architecture de Saint-Luc in my native town of Gand, in Belgium, I moved to Marseille and worked for others for 10 years before setting up my own architecture practice, since when I've designed a number of public and private projects. I'm demanding in my architecture, I believe it's essential to know in detail exactly what the customer wants and to design around that. That's my approach when designing for the care sector, particularly for vulnerable people who have physical or psychological handicaps."
How do you tackle designing such communal facilities?
"Well for my Alzheimer care home in Gap I started by trying to understand the disease.Twenty-odd years ago they were building circular premises; I wanted to encourage mobility via the senses, so I incorporated a veranda leading to a therapy garden with a fountain, aromatic plants to touch and berries to eat. More recently I worked on rehabilitating a therapeutic, educational and pedagogical centre for children and adolescents, in Vence. I enjoy giving architecture from the 1960s-80s a second chance, it's often well-built and that limits the environmental impact. To improve the residents' wellbeing I added individual bedrooms to the dormitories, and to reduce the chance of clashes I created several small living areas, each for a dozen children to eat, study and play together in. I wanted the place to be warm and soothing, even if it can never replace the intimacy of a family home."Tell us about your prize-winning design, the wood-framed house in Forcalquier. "I came across a stunning but improbable plot: a wonderful view of the southern Lubéron but inaccessible with equipment over 3.5 tonnes and with a medieval undercroft riddled with cavities. When we started digging we found ready-dressed stones on-site, we just had to assemble them like a puzzle to front the house, which hides behind a 35m wall extended by a bridge leading to a summer house and garden. The main house's planted roof helps build a strong connection with the natural surroundings. The other goal was to make the house as energy-saving as possible."
Are you especially pleased with
any other private homes you've designed?"Yes, I'm just completing a house in Belgium that I built myself with the help of friends and family, my father in particular. Again, it's a rebuild with an extension, a bioclimatic construction of six floors, garage to roof terrace, on a 45m² plot. Again, I worked on volume rather than surface area, and natural lighting interacting with select materials: wood, terracotta, stone and steel."
Atelier Verbauwen
75 rue d'Endoume,
Marseille
Tél. +33 4 91 89 50 94
Mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Par Tanja Stojanov
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