A house as a White Snake curling on the water

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[ Photos © Pierre Minassian architect ]

Curling on the water

Site : 40 hectares including a lake (20 hectares, 7meters deep to the maximum) and an oak forest. The lake is oval shaped and located in the middle of the forest.
The pictures attached were taken during the summer drought and the level of the lake is 80cm lower than the usual level.

Requirements as stated by the client:
- 2 bedrooms
- 2 study rooms
- 1 sport room
- 1 living room
- 1 kitchen
The clients originally wanted to build their house in the middle of the forest, but I convinced them to build it on the lake.

Description of the house

The house is composed of 2 slabs of white concrete. The level of the lower slab varies so that there are different levels in the house.
The layout of the rooms depends on sun exposure and viewing angle.
During the entire year we spent on the study, our goal was to design a building that was as pure and simple as possible.
All the materials are used so as to emphasize the minimalist style of the house.
The windows of the house were subjected to sophisticated and complex studies : they are embedded in the lower and upper slabs. Some of them can slide to open the façade.
The building of those windows was man-made and experimental.
Access to the house is done via a telescopic bridge that isolates the house from the shore so that it is impossible to get into the house without being invited.
The bridge is located between two oaks aged 150 years (they are the oldest trees in the estate)
The entrance of the house is the most opaque area of the building. It is composed of suspended steel plates.
The swimming pool is immersed in the lake. The technical room of the pool is under water.
The house was mainly built with raw materials.
The floor of the house is in white concrete except for the bedrooms, study rooms and living-room where there is wooden floor.
The curtains are automated and slide around the house.

Building site and environment

In order to respect the environment and ecosystem of the lake we had to build a dyke around the building site to empty the area around the house.

It is a low energy house. Geothermal energy is used to heat the house 50 kw / m²
The sources of energy used in order to heat or cool the house are geothermal energy combined with a Canadian well and solar panels.
For the summer, the house includes a cooling system which uses the water from the lake.