Karri Loop House
Margaret River, Australia - 2013 Photography: First three photos from Giulio Aristide - Peter Bennetts
Heros
is an architectural studio based in Paris, France.
Maison G
Chevreuse, France - 2016, 17
Close to the regional nature park of the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse and in the heart of the historic centre, the house is set on a steep plot set back from the street alignments, out of time. The volume of the project is induced by the programme's requirements in terms of surface area but results mainly from the urban constraints of the site.
The house, which reveals itself in this place as a single entity, is composed of superimposed layers, each housing a very distinct program. Developed on three levels, it is organized to capture as much light as possible, bypass the masking effect of the adjoining walls and enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. The concept is to work on full and empty space in relation with what will become intimate or sharing spaces. The mass is divided into two parts: the base, inspired by the medieval walls that delimit the plot, and the volume of the roof, covered with handcrafted tiles reminding the surrounding buildings of this. A void arises from the separation of these two volumes to house the public space of the dwelling, open at 180° to the landscape; the materiality of this level is deliberately raw and contrasts strongly with the submergent nature of the place. Thus, the internal and external spaces of the project coexist and enrich each other to create an identity specific to the place and inseparable from the context.
Apartment S
Paris, France - 2018 - Photography: Schnepp Renou & heros
The crossing apartment of 93m2, on the 6th floor of a 1930s building with clear views, is located in the 20th district of Paris. Due to its lengthy morphology and the requested programme, it has been decided to make tabula rasa of the existing in order to obtain a neutral basis that excludes any superfluous element. The partitions that initially divided the space have been cut down and the old carpet replaced by a white resin flooring. Indeed, the apartment reacts like a big reflector and allows a maximum light input. Thus, the container completely covered in white, like a blank canvas, highlights its content. Three large pieces of furniture compose and organize the space:
The first one is located in the centre of the apartment as a floating object, voluntarily taken off the ceiling and the structure and finished with wood; it is the only coloured element of the apartment. All the rooms revolve around this central core which marks the entry sequence and makes it possible to create a distance from water features with respect to the living area.
The second pièce of furniture, more technical, lines the longest wall of the apartment to connect the living room with the bedroom; it makes it possible to integrate a retractable bed, a wardrobe, a library and various storage. In order to testify of the depth of the apartment and to confirm a spatial dynamics, vertical elements are worked in such a way as to allow a fleeting and horizontal reading of this piece of furniture. The latter are set back and split for more finesse and to incorporate several technical systems behind. Therefore, beyond their structural function, these columns allow to house the heating network, electrical equipment and indirect lighting of the library that visually takes it off the wall.
Finally, the kitchen island has been treated as an abstract block, massive and white in order to forget its major function. It hosts all the necessary functions for its use and aims to be discreet despite its imposing dimensions.
