Villa Solaire

Villa Solaire by JKA + FUGA | Photo © Julien Lanoo

Architecture and design: JKA – Jérémie Koempgen Architecture, FUGA – J. Aich & M. Recordon
Location: Morzine, France
Photography: Julien Lanoo

This is a conversion of an old farmhouse into a rental luxury villa. The existing farmhouse dates from 1840 and was classified as a traditional architectural heritage.

Exterior:

A uniform cladding is covering the entire farm. One of the challenges of the project was to preserve its appearance while filtering the light at the heart of the building. The traditional technique of decorative trim strips of wood is implemented on the entire facade.

Perforated facade system was used to ventilate hay, now it carries the light inside the building

The pattern, contemporary and simple, consists of spruce slats produced by a local carpenter. The whole facade system is perforated and the disjointed slats remind of the traditional farm where they were once used to ventilate hay but today they carry the light inside the building.

: Villa Solaire by JKA + FUGA | Photo © Julien Lanoo

: Villa Solaire by JKA + FUGA | Photo © Julien Lanoo

The glazed sections of the farm, located on the bare interior of the facade, are partially hidden by cover strips. They are not seen from the outside and do not interfere with the uniformity of the cladding.

Areas that receive greater accumulation of the sun are particularly perforated

Throughout the year, shadows of the roofs and neighboring buildings sweep over the facade. The design of the openwork cladding meets this shadow path: areas that receive greater accumulation of the sun are particularly perforated and provide enough light during the day to read in the public areas of the house.

This concept of linking the inside with the outside evokes a lifestyle in harmony with the environment, describing this project as a house exposed on four sides whose perception evokes that of a sundial.

: Villa Solaire by JKA + FUGA | Photo © Julien Lanoo

: Villa Solaire by JKA + FUGA | Photo © Julien Lanoo

Interior:

The idea of this project was to move through the house between four “blocks” made of stable rocks, located at each corner of the building. These independent blocks are actually suites with their own sleeping areas.

The four blocks mark the home just as the mountains line the valley

The remaining volume of the house is occupied by a series of floors staggered at different levels in the structure. This generous space shared by the inhabitants of the house offers many activities such as: cooking, sharing a meal, watching a movie, discussing shows, warming up by the fire, etc. The four blocks mark the home just as the mountains line the valley and are made purposely to resemble the traditional farms and mountains.

The symbolic harmonization is even visible in each separate “block” since they reflect the relief they face, so the frame/walls are similar to wooden flooring and together they resemble the exterior.