​The Eco-Friendly, Barn-Style House

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
UNE MAISON BIOCLIMATIQUE À PLUVIGNER EN BRETAGNE, Patrice Bideau a.typique Patrice Bideau a.typique Modern houses
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Eco-friendly? Stylish? Charming and creative spaces? Sounds like a project by A.Typique Patrice Bideau, French architects who make it their mission to provide houses that not only go hand in hand with bioclimatic design, but also pack an elegant punch. 

Bioclimatic architecture is defined as architecture that has a connection with nature, and takes into account the climate and environmental conditions to favour thermal comfort when it comes to the interiors. This type of architectural construction seeks perfect cohesion between design and natural elements (such as the sun, wind, rain and vegetation).

Today’s homify 360° discovery takes us all the way to Pluvigner, France, to a home that meets all of our environmentally conscious designer’s requests.

Let’s take a closer look!

A warm welcome

We kick off our tour with a look at the house’s facade at nightfall. Although not many details are visible here, we just love the stylish and cosy atmosphere visible thanks to the strong interior lighting of the house. 

Shall we see what this structure brings to the table in daylight?

A curvy creation

Looking at the house in crystal-clear daylight, it is a refreshing change to see how it differs from the traditional house designs – not many residences boast with such soft curves and bending roofs that seem to envelope the house from above. 

The combination of bended zinc roofs and wooden panels make us reminisce about a rural country barn instead of a modern house for the contemporary family.

A lush setting

Viewed from the side, we can see the wide open lawn on which the house is located – a fruit orchard, to be exact. 

With the majority of the house’s building materials consisting of pine wood, this house is not just about pretty looks. With top-notch insulation properties, like rockwool, it ensures minimum heat loss during the colder months. 

Rockwool insulation is used to keep the interior temperature under control in colder countries, where warm houses are non-negotiable. Traditionally, polyurethane is also used in the households for insulation.    

Remember: this is France, and South Africa does not come close to Europe in terms of winter’s plummeting temperatures!

The terrace’s side view

The house’s side panelling is composed of western red cedar, a very natural choice of timber, not the least of which is because of its insulation qualities. 

Here we see the shaded terrace located on the side of the house, with a zinc roof providing a beautiful arch over that exterior seating set.

Interior loft area

Generous-sized windows ensure an adequate dose of sunlight hitting the interiors on a daily basis, reducing the need for indoor heating. To maximise on space, a loft area was added on the inside, seen here stylishly overlooking the living room.

The industrial staircase

And just how do we get to that loft area? By staircase, which, as we can see here, is adorned in a terrific industrial/urban style. This open-riser has timber steps and steel railing, making it fit in most adequately with the house’s interior and exterior choice of materials. 

The top storey / loft area is where the bedroom and dressing room are located, together with a bathroom – all of which enjoy a fantastic view of the eastern sunrise each and every morning. 

Love a good staircase? So do we! Be sure to take a look at these: Awesome spiral staircases designs.

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