LA CRETÂ FARMHOUSE
The project involves the transformation of an apartment occupying the rural part of an 18th-century farmhouse.
Fribourg farmhouses of that era housed both living quarters and farm functions under one roof. The rural section consisted of two stables flanking a central passageway — the fourragère — a through-space used for feeding livestock, which also benefited from additional height allowing hay to be stored above the
stables.
The apartment, fitted out in 2011 by previous owners, resulted from a renovation that significantly altered the rural volume’s substance and nature. The original ceiling joists were replaced with a concrete slab, the wooden structure was substituted with masonry walls, and the roof framework removed in favour of glulam beams.
The current project takes the form of a “re”- transformation of the barn based on subtraction, revealing the original qualities of the space. The main intervention restores the previous spatial character of the fourragère: partitions were removed to recover its through-configuration, and the slab was cut through its full depth to bring back its verticality.
The resulting layout follows a tripartite scheme: the central living space occupies the former fourragère, while service rooms and bedrooms are housed in structural bays on either side. Material choices reflect the same logic: pseudo-Tuscan finishes were replaced with white tiles reminiscent of milking rooms, and plaster was stripped to reveal the original textures underneath.
