Inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle between vegetation and bare stone, this fine house built of concrete won the prize for best individual home.
Raised some centimetres off the rough, stony ground, the house seems to just lightly touch it; this way it preserves its natural slope. This mineral structure responds to its site, blending into it just as it blends outdoors with indoors. The variations on the concrete theme are alternately smooth and rough. In parts the concrete lets us picture the building process through the imprint of the wooden shuttering: the grain of the wood, the gaps between boards. The villa's living areas are simply arranged in a continuous, harmonious volume. The lounge, with glass walls on two sides, is flooded with light and gives the impression of being in a forest. Quartz concrete floors, sections of wall made of raw chestnut wood planks and a colour scheme for each bedroom provide a variety of warmly comfortable ambiences. Indoor comfort in winter (maximum light and minimum heat loss) is combined with an eminently practical layout for outdoor living in summer. The low, broad architecture of this very Southern villa has made the most of the site's limitations and potential.
By Louis Badie
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