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Text description provided by the architects. This renovation project of a family house is located in a suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Toulon, in the Var region, in the heart of southern France. The primary goal was to rethink the building’s functionality to better meet the needs of its occupants while adapting to the existing constraints.
Originally, the bedrooms and garage were on the ground floor, while the living areas were located upstairs. However, the ground floor presented significant challenges, including level differences and limited ceiling heights, making it difficult to create comfortable new living spaces. These constraints guided the architectural project: instead of excavating the lower floor to increase ceiling height, the decision was made to cut through the intermediate floor and raise it. This cut made perpendicular to the existing level break on the lower floor, enabled the creation of a new spatial organization.
The project is structured around four distinct volumes, each defined by a specific ceiling height, reflecting the implementation of the raum plan concept. Constraints were thus transformed into true assets for the project.
A bioclimatic approach was also central to the design, embracing a Mediterranean and low-tech philosophy. Summer comfort is ensured through simple yet effective solutions: a vegetated pergola for shading, louvered shutters to manage light and heat, and optimized natural ventilation to cool the entire house. In winter, thermal mass was created to maximize solar gains, and a single pellet stove efficiently heats all the spaces, meeting energy efficiency and sustainability requirements.
