The Colombier

Originally built as a small storage building by the forestry operator, it was later rehabilitated as a refuge in the forest by the current owners, the Colombier is today a real little house in the forest deploying on three levels.

In a spirit of conservation of the surrounding nature, the building was not enlarged to the ground. The bias was to see this new phase of development of the old building in the image of the natural growth of a tree. The footprint of the tree / building remains the same during its development, the growth being rather vertical in an aerial volume on the model of the tree canopy.

This has allowed the building to be enlarged while maintaining the natural character of the site, without cutting trees or even using any heavy machinery that could damage the natural context of the forest.

The dizzy interior space painted in white contrasts with the exterior volume covered with dark cedar, the same color and nature as the bark of the coniferous trees around it. A continuity of the materials and structure of the original building is required in the new construction and manifests itself in uninterrupted extension upwards.

On the ground floor, an open space offers direct contact between the day rooms and the forest floor. In each floor, each room opens onto a large vertical space articulated around the steel staircase, ultra light as an aerial structure. At the last level, under gable, but outside, a covered terrace all white offers itself as perch, thus giving its name to the residence.