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Building Workshop's project 001 is nearly finished. The finishing touches will be completed once the snow has melted and Spring has arrived. The brief was to transform 'La Bergerie' - a tired 1970s barn conversion - into a contemporary family home with open plan living spaces and lots of natural daylight. The home had to be functional as well as comfortable, with ample storage space for winter sports equipment. The barn is in the French Alps with fantastic panoramic views which change dramatically with the seasons.
Using development models, it became clear that the best solution was to build a kitchen and living space to the south of the existing building - this would maximise natural daylight, solar gain and give the best possible views of the surrounding countryside. The natural slope of the hillside is used to provide space for a garage and ski equipment underneath the main living space.
The roof structure is braced to support heavy snow loads and has a racking system to hold the snow on the roof, providing extra insulation. The back wall of the house is one metre thick to withstand avalanches.
The large open plan living room will have a big kitchen island connecting the old barn with the contemporary space, a dining table and sofas and chairs around an open fire. External sliding timber screens provide shade when it's too sunny, without shutting out the natural daylight.
We can't wait until project 001 is fully completed with all of the finishing touches!
