In our projects we explore the tension that might exist between the site, the functions, the built form and its materiality. We would like this perception of things to be as much emotional as it is rational.
The pavilion built above the Petit Lac de Sierre is made up of two spaces: an introverted one oriented towards the mountains and an extroverted one generously opening towards the valley. From the road that leads to the site, the construction is basically invisible. It joins the hillside following the mild topographic curves, the only visible sign that reveals the presence of a dwelling being the great window panes that frame the valley.
The beauty of the environment is enhanced by both its specific natural landscapes and the dry stone walls that allow the growing of vines in this mountainous region. The Vineyard Terraces of Lavaux are part of the Unesco World Heritage due to the landscape structure crafted by both man and nature. We find ourselves in a similar situation here.
In nature, our perception of things is intimately related to their shape and materiality. We can make the same observations about architecture. The dichotomy between form and materiality is inseparable from the way we perceive objects. Materiality has a strong emotional charge which forges the character of things.
The pavilion is a long dry stone wall that reinterprets the rural rules of local building. The gradual folding of the house and wall openings representing the building and their extension beyond the heated surfaces allows the creation of interior and exterior spaces in harmony with the landscape.
Inside, the rooms grafted on the topography become more in tune with it, but also distance themselves from it. The atmosphere is strongly influenced by the omnipresent exposed concrete. A feeling of essentiality is present that makes us think of the rough daily lives of bygone valaisians. Only the great generosity of the glazed openings distances us from ancestral conditions that seem to still inhabit this place. Modern-day achievements abandon their pauper condition in favor of the pure pleasure of contemplating the landscape
