In the heart of the Morvan Massif, a large farmhouse has been partially converted into a family home. The project involved extending the renovation to a second section while preserving the authenticity of the old building and ensuring consistency with the first contemporary project.
The steel structure extends into the volume of the barn and against the timber frame, defining two main volumes: in the first, bedrooms and bathrooms, and in the second, in negative, a generous living space where the old building is revealed.
The starting point is the creation of a new storey: a metal platform is anchored to the thick stone walls and moulds the wooden beams. Designed as a “capable” structure, its grid supports the collaborative floor, integrates the electrical networks, but also a suspended net, light fittings, sliding doors, railings, and so on.
The second aspect of the project involved opening up large bays designed as genuine technical objects (accordion doors opening onto a suspended terrace, a reading box, a steel carriage porch, etc.). The intervention was intended to be light, revealing the contrast between its contemporary nature and the rural building.
Steel was chosen for its lightness and malleability, and used on all scales, from the largest structural elements to the finest details of integrated furniture. Its galvanized finish provides a balanced contrast with the vibrancy of the stone and the warmth of the okoume wood, while giving the steel the appropriate protection and long life.
All the doors are made of galvanized steel, only the windows are made of anodised aluminium. All the parts, including the door panels and their internal square tube structure, are made of hot dip galvanized steel. The components were pre-drilled before being dipped in the zinc bath, so all the fasteners were protected by galvanizing. The whole system was then assembled mechanically, without welding, drilling or recutting on site.
This was one of the main technical challenges during the implementation of the project: to anticipate all the assemblies, so that all that was left to do was to assemble the elements on site (and that in an old building where there is no orthogonality…). The surface area is 130 m² and the project budget was €400.000 excluding VAT
