A Prefab Cabin Made From 100% Locally Sourced Wood Pops Up in France
A trio of architects use sustainably harvested timber to build an experimental home in the Loire Valley.
A trio of architects use sustainably harvested timber to build an experimental home in the Loire Valley.
In central France, the 19th-century Château de la Bourdaisière has welcomed the latest addition to its menagerie of nature-focused exhibitions: a prefabricated home made from 100% wood.
Architects Matthieu Boustany and Benoist Desfonds of LOCAL and Peeraya Suphasidh of SUPHASIDH designed and built the structure after winning the castle’s 2017 design competition, which called for a 600-square-foot pavilion built entirely of wood that could be disassembled and moved if needed.
Made of on-site timber processed with local labor and CNC technologies, the 100% Wooden House "links the origins of construction to today’s high-tech industry," according to the architects.
Atelier Vincent Hecht
"The use of CLT in the composition of the facade ensures large openings with minimal interruptions," say the architects. "We also used a structural element as a finished surface for the interior of the dwelling."
Atelier Vincent Hecht
"The design process involved the search for spatial qualities that would change our idea of what a living area could be, and the exploration of wooden construction systems," explain the architects.
Following several delays due to permitting and budgeting (the initial budget of 150,000 Euros was cut down to just 82,000 Euros), the architects began construction in the fall of 2019. Their use of 3D modeling, prefabrication, and cross-laminated timber helped shorten the construction timeline to one-and-a-half months, just in time for the Bourdaisière Castle’s 2019 Forest and Wood Festival.
The architects took chestnut trees that were felled three years ago at Château de la Bourdaisière to a local sawmill, where the logs were processed into boards for the facade.
Atelier Vincent Hecht
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Prefab Cabin Made From 100% Locally Sourced Wood Pops Up in France
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