cookie cutter retreat
Within a large sloped plot, three semi-circular buildings are placed, each establishing a different relationship with the terrain. Their sizes vary — S, M, and L — according to programme. One is a private house, another a shared dwelling, and the third a generous hall able to host almost any activity.
In each figure, the curved wall acts as a retaining structure, while the straight side opens as a large window towards the landscape. The three buildings belong to the same system of intentions, dimensions, and materials. Each is cut by a diagonal wall separating public and private zones. Behind each cut, a compact labyrinth appears — a fragment borrowed from a house by Gehry, Ito, or Siza, inserted almost verbatim. The result is a deliberate collision between two spatial attitudes: the expansive void of the semicircle and a dense, almost baroque interior imported from elsewhere.
The buildings are assembled almost entirely from surfaces. The curved perimeter wall is white-painted concrete; the diagonal cut is concrete painted dark blue, nearly black. Ceilings remain exposed concrete, covered by a dense grid of Minase lamps. The straight façade is fully glazed and protected by a tilted canopy of metal mesh. The only punctual elements — round concrete columns — mark the threshold between the interior and the landscape. One thick column, painted blue with white stripes, is reflected and multiplied in the glass.
The systematic logic extends to smaller elements — doors, kitchens, and scattered furniture — where colour becomes an instrument. Fluorescent yellow appears repeatedly, surprisingly at ease in a domestic setting. Through these gestures the three objects become inhabited. Visitors may briefly hesitate: is this the S, the M, or the L?
Seen from afar, the semi-circles nearly disappear into the slope. Only the large windows and bright blue chimneys remain visible. Granite stones found on site organise the surrounding ground into places to sit, gather, or wander. Ironically, the terrain had to be extensively excavated so that the three buildings could quietly vanish into the landscape.
