Superb House in Crozon, France

Sustainable, spacious and comfortable – these are the words that can be used to describe this stunning home in Corzon, France. Designed by Agence d’architecture Pierre-Yves Le Goaziou and completed in 2012, this house impresses with compact volumes, large windows and modern technologies that allow it to boast a certain degree of independence from conventional energy sources. The owners wanted to live in a low-energy home, which is why the architects opened up its south façade as much as possible in order to take advantage of solar heat gains. By contrast, the facades to the north and east are closed off for the most part.

Efficient insulation and the use of geothermal energy also contribute to the home’s sustainability. The owners are able to savor exceptional views of the Corzon bay by spending some time on an outdoor wood terrace. The west side of the structure is horizontal on 3 floors and flaunts a pair of cantilevering overhangs. These overhangs are highlighted using materials such as local unrefined red cedar wood and white concrete.

From the architect:

Planted with greatly high maritime pines, the site is located above the Porzic beach, in the Crozon Peninsula. The surrounding constructions are almost exclusively individual houses of neo-Breton style, the evolution of the traditional dwelling of the region and typical of the sixties.

The weft of the building is horizontal on three floors, with two cantilevers overhangs. These create an outside passageway allowing solar regulation. They are emphasized by several different materials, such as local unrefined red cedar wood horizontally laid, and white concrete for the overhangs.

The black concrete floor is very discreet, because it is setback compared to the rest of the building and its tint is very close from this of the traditional slate. The window and door frames are in a black coloured metal. A vast outside wood terrace covers a part of the first floor roof: it offers a breathtaking view over the Crozon bay.

The owners wished for a low-energy house. This objective is reached by opening the south facade as much as possible in order to obtain warmth and restore it at night. As for the North and East facades, they have very few openings.

The simplicity and the compactness of the volumes, added to a highly efficient insulation and the use of sustainable energy (eg: geothermic energy) foster this bioclimatic approach.

Architects: Agence d’architecture Pierre-Yves Le Goaziou
Location: Crozon, France
Architect in Charge: Pierre-Yves Le Goaziou
Project Year: 2012
Photographs: Pascal Léopold