"The house"

Architect’s opinion

The material

The house is made of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC)

This new constructional material has similar mechanical properties as the cast iron or the ceramic. The microscopic grain of its components offers the architect two precious qualities : exceptional high mechanical resistance thanks to its high density and the ability to have a very smooth surface (the thinness of the grains allows the reproduction of tiny details on the surface of moulds).

This concrete, being not reinforced by steel, but by plastic fibres, is suitable for thin layer applications allowing a large freedom of shapes.

The house

The house is sheltered by a layer of UHPFRC appearing as an undulating form floating at 50 cm above the ground. The inhabitable portion is inside the hollow of the wave and closed at both ends by glass facades while the horizontal parts constitute the terraces.

The thickness of the concrete, only 25 mm and plus the fact that bearing elements are hidden under the terraces gives an impression of lightness. The house seems to touch the ground.

The surface of the concrete is not smooth but slightly corrugated to grab the light. It is covered with a drawing of vegetable inspiration.

Inhabitable surface : 150 m2
Location : ZAC des Bords de Velle, Saint Brice, France
Contractor : L’Effort Rémois
Architect : Patrick Nadeau