Maison Spirale by Portal Thomas Teissier Architecture

The ground surface represents 750m², with a triangular shape located on a hill which only had the potential to offer a nice panoramic view from the first floor and the proximity to a rocky natural wall (Lapiaz).

While keeping its natural environment where the house has been built, the construction stacks the following functions:
-A basement hosting a garage;
-A ground floor having a living function;
-A first floor hosting the bed-rooms;
-A roof-top terrace from which one can sun-bath while enjoying a panoramic view reaching out to the sea.

In manner to create a sleek spacial continuity with the construction showing an obvious and easy access to the roof-top, the house visually elevates itself in a spiral-like shape. This wooden ribbon seems to come out of the ground where it will at first outbound the demarcation of the garden by fencing it and make-out the garden’s technical elements. Finally the structure will wrap itself around the first floor and end-up rimming the Terrace on the roof-top.

Technically the wooden ribbon has an external insulation function. By partially wrapping itself- up around the house leaving open concrete gaps, it will give to the structure a thermal inertia which contributes to the comfort of the house in summer conditions. The first floor built irregularly in cantilever brings a variable shadow to the ground-floor entirely made out of glass. In winter as the sun shines lower in the horizon the rooms of the grown floor will glow with a shy warm sunlight. The inner floor made out of stones will accumulate and deliver heat until late at night.

The wooden ribbon will literally be cut-out at the bed room’s level to intentionally create openings in front of the windows. The cut-out parts are kept and equipped with hinges and jacks to create the window’s natural shutters.

A column made of concrete, poured in-situ, will act as a back-bone for the structure. On top of his structural function it will serve as a chimney and will convoy every flow from the basement up to the roof.

Sept. 21, 2014