berranger & vincent: house to catch the tree

‘house to catch the tree’ by berranger & vincent in nantes, france all images courtesy berranger & vincent image © stéphane chalmeau

french architecture practice berranger & vincent (jérôme berranger, stéphanie vincent) has shared with us images of ‘house to catch the tree’, a small private house in nantes, france. situated on a narrow and steep site with a large chestnut tree to the back of the plot, the design opens up to the garden while maintaining, in contrast, a private street face.

street view image © stéphane chalmeau

working with the local regulatory constraints of the area, the overall form of the residence allows for a double-height space with a slanted roofline that opens up to the east. wrapped in a skin constructed out of white metal cladding, the asymmetrical volume features an excised volume on the street level to accommodate a parking space for two cars. the front face is marked with a series of square-faced windows that continue to the roof surface to become skylights.

exterior view image © stéphane chalmeau

in contrast, the garden-facing elevation is largely transparent by a number of rectangular windows and a protruding sitting room wrapped in a system of sliding glass doors. the result of this dichotomous treatment focuses the interior towards the back of the plot and away from the street. an old chestnut tree, which is listed in a classified wooden area, is utilized as a tool for light and thermal control over the seasons. a direct dialogue between the the architecture, the inhabitants, and the tree is established.

from the garden image © stéphane chalmeau

sitting room image © stéphane chalmeau

(left) bedroom off the garden (right) interior view of sitting room images © stéphane chalmeau

kitchen image © stéphane chalmeau

night view image © stéphane chalmeau

from street at night image © stéphane chalmeau

axonometric drawings

site map

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level +1

floor plan / level +2