LumiSnail
11 February 2022The sliding shelter
10 January 2020
Maison W
THE PLEATED HOUSE
Associate architect: Virgile Ponsoye | Circular window spaces: Lumicene | Client: D.W. (SAS LUMI) | 2020
Maison W – The Pleated House - is a rental housing project located on the slopes of the Pic de Charance, above the city of Gap in the South of France.
The site is the transition point between the urbanized plain and a wilder setting: the very last piece of land before the mighty geological folds of the mountain. The house nestles on the slope like a protective cave, as it widely opens towards the valley. Its pleated, fully glazed facade echoes the folding of the Charance and seems to breathe as it opens and closes.
Inside, glazed alcoves showcase the various functions of the house in as many successive chambers open onto the landscape. The alternation between curves and counter-curves binds them into a space with fluidity and amniotic softness.
The whole house seems dedicated to glorifying the movements of visitors and setting the panorama in motion, just like along a hiking path. It is as much a place of rest as of sensory exploration: a cocoon balcony on the mountainside.
