Le Patio des Cimes
The project begins long before one reaches the building itself. The ascent toward the site unfolds as a journey: a winding path cuts through dense vegetation, where the forest encloses the visitor in a sheltered, almost secret atmosphere. Step by step, this immersion gives way to a gradual unveiling. As the trees thin out, the horizon emerges—an open window onto the mountains and the village below. This passage from enclosure to openness becomes a revelation: a suspended space, a pause in time, where one encounters nature in all its magnitude.
This contrast between the embrace of the forest and the vastness of the horizon was decisive in shaping the project. It guided the design through an essential triptych: earth, sky, and view. The cabin is conceived not as an isolated object, but as a signal within the landscape, an ephemeral stage in a longer journey. It marks a pause in the hike, offering visitors a moment of contemplation before they continue their path.
From the outside, the building integrates with the topography, creating a gentle transition between the ground and the distant horizon. Rather than asserting itself as an intrusive presence, the cabin dissolves into the landscape. A low opening, a subtle fault line in its façade, reveals only a discreet glimpse of the interior, suggesting presence without disclosure. This silent mystery invites curiosity and contemplation, preferring restraint over immediate revelation.
The thick horizontal roof becomes the backbone of the project. It defines a clear line in the landscape, casting deep shadows on the walls and entrances. Under this protective canopy, the space encourages a ritual: to remove one’s shoes, to step inside, to pause, and to look outward. The cabin is not merely a shelter, but a suspension in time—a place where movement slows down, where body and mind reconnect with the territory.
Inside, the architecture subtly choreographs the visitor’s gestures. Entry occurs standing, the head brushing against the roofline, before settling into a lower space organized around a central patio. The body alternates between elevation and grounding: seated with feet anchored in the soil, one contemplates the mountain; lying back, gaze lifted through the coffered roof, one meets the sky. Two distinct perspectives—earthbound and celestial—frame a dialogue between the intimate and the infinite.
Materiality reinforces this duality. Wood, the primary element, is treated in two contrasting ways. The structural frame and flooring remain raw, left untreated to preserve the rough texture of freshly sawn timber. By contrast, the infill boards are carefully planed and sanded, offering a soft, tactile surface. This play of textures between roughness and smoothness echoes the project’s larger narrative, where nature’s raw presence meets moments of crafted refinement.
More than a simple cabin, the project is an invitation. It embraces the passage between forest and horizon, between enclosure and openness, between earth, sky, and view. It becomes a place not only to inhabit, but to contemplate—a fragment of architecture suspended within the landscape.
