Holiday Home/Apartment - 4 persons - Rue de la Ferpècle - 1985 - La Forclaz Vs

A former hay barn held together solely by planks of wood has been transformed into a space for living and relaxation while preserving the building’s identity. The foundations on which the building stands were recast in concrete and a basement extension was added, thus allowing the available volume of the hut to be comfortably increased. Above all, the creation of this new space has allowed domestic rooms, i.e. kitchen and bathroom, to be installed, with the full-length glass door opening directly onto the mountain pasture – as if carved out of the landscape – providing the cherry on the cake. In aesthetic terms, a reinterpretation of the traditional watering trough can even be seen: it now floods the basement area with daylight. The interior almost gives the impression of becoming an art gallery where, just for a change, the artworks are hung on the outside.
The common thread running through this transformation was respect for heritage. The entire outbuilding has been preserved in its original state. Although the foundations have been entirely rebuilt, the part that rises up above ground level is 100% identical with the former cowshed. In this case, the architect has not attempted to create something new, but instead to work with what already existed. Placing the windows behind the wooden boards provides a form of lighting that brings the old cowshed back to life. The use of sand-blasted concrete enabled the designers to create a stone-like ambience inside the new basement rooms. The concrete floors of the apartment generate a very special atmosphere in this property tucked away at an altitude of 1,700m. This hut can accommodate 2 to 4 people, incorporating a kitchen and dining room in the former agricultural building. The bedroom is on the ground floor, which is heated throughout the stay by a wood-burning fireplace.