gens conceals contemporary disneyland home in traditional gabled roof

tucked away in the small village of zutzendorf in the picturesque alsace region, local studio gens (association liberale d’architeture) has completed a quaint house titled disneyland. with zoning in the area existing in the form of historical precedent rather than city mandate, the home aims to fit within the volumetric context of its neighbors while offering an entirely new form of living inside. the most notable feature manifests as the large gabled roof clad in natural timber planks and local tiles that keep with the formal and material vernacular.

the first floor features an open plan open to the south through a continuous glass wall
image © ludmilla cerveny (also first image)

with regards to local typography, this is as far as the gens-designed home complies. underneath the pitched canopy, a ground story wrapped in typical white walls opens entirely to the southern garden through retractable glass partitions, allowing for a large covered outdoor patio space. the open ground floor plan is constrained only by a sauna and shelf structure, allowing the rest of the footprint to be inhabited as the owner likes.

the south-facing patio acts as an extension to the house complete with an integrated washbasin
image © ludmilla cerveny

hovering over the living area the deep gable – sans-soffit – exposes its impressive timber trusses to the ground floor, creating a new landscape and retreat with a large rectangular void cutting transversely through the repetitive beams that frame views east/west. opening the large doors that close the void, natural light is allowed to penetrate indirectly into the center of the home, offering continuous daylight from above throughout the day.

a wood burning fireplace heats the space from the ground floor, taking advantage of the concrete floors thermal mass to contain and radiate heat
image © ludmilla cerveny

the roof plenum offers offers a landscape of carpentry
image © ludmilla cerveny

looking through the void in the roof truss system
image © ludmilla cerveny

a fixed book shelf and sauna are the only constraining features of the plan, everything else is mobile and can be moved to suit the owner’s needs
image © ludmilla cerveny

image © ludmilla cerveny

the backside of the home is clad in corrugated metal panels, reminiscent of the agricultural architecture
image © ludmilla cerveny

project info:

program: private residence
context: alsace village
location: zutzendorf; bas-rhin, france
collaborators: terranergie be thermique / barthes bois be structure
floor area: 114 m2
cost: 155,600 euros
completion: 2015
photographs: ladmilla cerveny

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