christophe benichou has designed a resting space for climbers exploring the verdon gorge, a river canyon in southeastern france. ‘since the 1960s, this canyon in the south of france has become a must-see climbing site because of its unique depth in europe and the quality of its limestone rock,’ says the architect. ‘majestic and vertiginous, the verdon cliffs stretch up to 700 meters (2,297 ft) high, offering a playground as noble as impressive.’
it is here where christophe benichou has located his ‘verdon balconies’, the latest theoretical project proposed by the french architect. positioned high above the canyon, the suspended platforms offer welcome horizontal rest for climbers scaling the cliffs. sheltered from the wind and falling stone, benichou suggests that the platform could even accommodate climbers overnight, bringing an a degree of domesticity to the rugged and natural setting.
‘entirely metallic for a light and reversible integration, these structures invoke the domestic figures of the balcony and the curtain to bring an unexpected hospitality to the realm of the void,’ benichou continues. other projects by christophe benichou include ‘lumishell’, a peanut-shaped prefabricated dwelling, and the vertigo-inducing ‘tip-box’ pavilion. see other work by the architect on designboom here.
project info:
name: verdon balconies
design: christophe benichou architectures
type: theoretical project
date: 2019
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I don’t think that any climber wants to see that metal stack middle of the climbing route. As an architect and a climber, I can’t understand the meaning of this project.
Why do architects need to mark their territory everywhere? As an architect and as a climber, I do not see the sense of this.
As an architect, there are already “domestic” temporary solutions for sleeping on the wall, called portaledges.
As a climber, I would like to experience nature as much as possible, and not climb up on the wall to get to a metal mesh terrace.