The surfer's bunker
The cave I | Theoretical project 2016
The Surfer's bunker is a shelter house on the coast of Brittany. It is a semi buried haven for those who seek protection against the ocean's roughness. Its conception is a reference to both the military architecture of the blockhaus, that concrete made look-out posts scrutinising the horizon, and to the more formal vocabulary of a cave or a burrow.
By settling perpendicularly to the shore, the structure sinks into the sand, as if nestling into the dune. This lay-out minimises the visual impact from the open sea, hence matching the intended humbleness.
Like a trifling speck amidst the wild vastness of the coast, the structure is thought as a counterpoint to this immensity. It helps breaking up the landscape to better experience the feelings brought about.
The Surfer's bunker makes the visitor lose the simultaneous contact with the various environmental elements of the landscape, the sand, the sky, the wind, the ocean and the horizon.
It helps him discover them individually, almost intimately.
Plan R+1
Plan RDC
Coupe AA
Coupe BB
1
Accès : entrer, puis rencontrer la matière
2Rangements extérieurs : s’enfoncer dans la grotte, guidé par une faille de lumière
3Patio : retrouver le ciel
4Salle de bains : regarder les oeillats danser dans le vent, sous la pluie de la douche
5Chambre : observer le fracas des vagues, la plage comme une couverture
6
Cuisine/séjour : investir la transition, entre ombre et lumière
7Salon : se blottir au fond de la tanière
8« Piscine » de sable : laisser filer son regard le long d’un fleuve minéral
9Terrasse belvédère : embrasser l’horizon
In fact, it frustrates one's senses to better satisfy them afterwards. It is a refuge that handles roughly its inhabitants to better make them face their own sensations. A slightly harsh environment to experience a retreat among the nature, far from the aseptic comfort of urban life and the disconnection of the city dweller from his own body.
The structure intends to trigger a broad range of spatial emotions in its inhabitants by exposing them to extremely contrasted yet complementary ambiances. It creates a palette of atmospheres playing on light and shade, compression and expansion, setting the few views on the outside as many silences.
