After working under names such as Renzo Piano and Dominique Perrault for almost a decade, French architect, Cyril-Emmanuel Issanchou, recently opened her own practice. For her ‘Maison Ecorce’, translated to mean the Bark House, Issanchou challenged the preconceptions of traditional timber constructed residences to design a contemporary house with strong emphasis on design.
“We’ve questioned the archetype of traditional houses and what is particular to timber construction; which form should a contemporary timber house take? We visualized a house that would be like a mirage from outside, a house that would merge with its natural surroundings and as well create a protective feeling inside,” explained the architect.
Often considered too fragile in France, the challenge in creating this timber house was to present a project that would be even more desirable than the popular standard concrete and plaster houses.
Longitudinal Section
Programatically, service spaces are oriented facing north, while bedrooms are stacked to make the space more dynamic and to provide necesary headroom for the garage. The staggered bedrooms open onto each other to maximise usage and “create a great sensation of space”.
The walls are made of standard structural wood panels with finishing on both sides. They are insulated with cellulose paste. Some panels are applied with dense insulation on 1/3 of the depth in order to create usable spaces for hidden cupboards, while some others are opened for ventilation.
The window rhythm, although seemingly random, responds to the interior functionings of the residence. The windows are tilted to reveal the depths from outside, as well to maintain a window base inside and allow a simple seal details on the outside. ”The random arrangement of the panels gives a nice perception of openness from the interior space, while privacy is granted by the size of the windows.”
I just love this concept