A perfect whole

How can contemporary architecture best be designed to fit in with its surroundings? This detached house in Alsace, France, answers that question. It is not just the lines between inside and outside that are blurred, but also those between the roof and the façade.

Blurred lines

This detached home of outstanding architectural beauty is located in the foothills of the Vosges mountains, just across the border from Germany’s Black Forest, where different levels of the landscape converge.

The challenge presented by this project to architectural agency IDEAA was to combine local tradition with contemporary design. Without disturbing the ecosystem or the appearance of the landscape around this detached home, they needed to carefully modify the levels and provide visual balance to the site, which is on a small hill.

“By choosing this clay roof tile, which is made by a local producer, we are also demonstrating our environmental responsibility.“ - Sandro de Pino, IDEAA Architecte.

Environmental considerations

Part of the solution was to use clay Vauban roof tiles on both the roof and façade. The straight lines and flat shape of this tile effectively integrated the different levels of the 300 m² house, while also respecting the local regulations. “By choosing this clay roof tile, which is made by a local producer, we are also demonstrating our environmental responsibility,” adds project architect, Sandro de Pin of IDEAA.

The roof was built with two pitches, of 45° and 55°, in terracotta-coloured tiles, which run down seamlessly into the façade. In this particular case, the architect chose the square version of the tile to lend the house both a historic and contemporary quality.

Nature, tradition and modernity

The decision to use the roof tile on the façade allowed the architects to hide some technical elements of the build, such as the guttering, and, at the same time, to create a stunning effect that blends tradition and modernity.

One gable end is fully glazed, giving the building its unique form and creating a new sense of space internally. The living spaces are open plan, there are no clearly defined boundaries between the garden and the indoor space, heightening the sense of living at one with nature. Of course, the views of the surrounding vineyards and the Black Forest add to this impression.

The red roof tiles and their technical properties were the perfect material for this project, which was completed within 16 months, and which successfully incorporates modern architecture and an appropriate sense of proximity to nature.