Maison Talbot-Wallis | Garcés - De Seta - Bonet, Arquitectes

The hamlet of Lombards in Villard de Lans inspired a project in which the idea of aggregation is fundamental: the house unfolds on the ground in a set of volumes that represent the image of a village fragment. The land, which slopes downwards in an east-westerly direction opens naturally onto the Vercors plateau, and spontaneously suggests a linear house, stretching on the lower part of the plot, creating a calm and sunny area facing south-east.
The rectangular based prism, elongated and of constant section, is expressed in three segments of slightly different orientations thanks to a double articulation. The result is a relatively narrow construction, inspired by the traditional form of the liners, and which adapts with great flexibility to the curves of the ground. Thanks to its movement, the house gains a lower level at the southern end with a minimum of earthwork and optimal sun exposure.
The building is composed of two volumes: the workshop and the house itself, connected by a winter garden. A first body, on the upper part of the ground, is a shelter for the car. The ridge of the house creates a horizontal line that subtly interacts with the crests of the mountains. The wooden frame construction, chosen for its high ecological performance, allows a light and dry construction, with a very high energy efficiency in line with the choices respectful of the place in volumetric terms and in its erection on the plot. A metal roof and wooden vertical cladding make up the surround of the house. The continuity of the façade and roof surfaces contrasts with the transparency of the polycarbonate winter garden.
As required by the PLU of the area, the construction finishes southwards with a contemporary interpretation of the "Pignon lauze". It is a smooth wooden facade (like the rest of the house) that extends beyond the roof line. The upper part of the gable highlights the smooth linear shape of the building, while the ground contact is resolved with a large glass opening the full width of the facade, from which the living room looks south. The work on this traditional element is part of an approach which, respectful of urban planning regulations and the character of the site, does not renounce the honest expression of the contemporaneity of the new building. At the northern end of the house, the roof of the workshop/store pivots to open to westwards and avoid the view of the neighbours.
The interiors, divided into the night zone in the upper part and the day zone in the lower, are longitudinally articulated in a sequence of spaces in a great variety of shapes and dimensions. This is harmonized by the alternating use of both types of finishes (natural wood and white paint for walls and ceilings, and wood and concrete for the floors).