Project: FRI House
Architects: Brengues Le Pavec architects
Location: Castelnau-le-Lez (Hérault), France
Area: 220 m2
Delivery: 2023
Photos: Zoé Chaudeurge
The FRI house is a superposition of full volume on a reading of emptiness. Located on a narrow plot, the construction made of poured concrete is made up of two levels. The ground floor subtracts from the volume by asserting emptiness. Generously glazed, this level allows an almost natural relationship between inside and outside.
The desire was to enlarge the visual field towards the garden and create the notion of living outside. Occupied by the bedrooms, the upper floor overhangs the ground floor. This overlay provides sun protection and offers a sheltered terrace for summer lunches. In this relationship, a summer kitchen is an extension of the one located inside the house. A system of clear, removable wooden channels makes it possible to filter the openings of the rooms on the facade. Positioned flush with the concrete, this device highlights the monolithic nature of the volume of the floor.
Inside, a long wall at the back of the stage structures the space. Double heights and skylights are created in the kitchen and living room to bring in the soft and diffused atmosphere of natural light.
