La maison vague

There are cities in the world that think ecologically and at the same time in a modern way. Housing Department of French city – Reims has ordered the project of a house that is cheap to build, environmentally friendly and can be located on a small plot. That is how a unique house-garden - La Maison-vague was created.

La Maison-vague is a combination of modernity and a traditional ... meadow. The author, a French designer Patrick Nadeau has used plants to improve the thermal insulation of the building. It protects the interior from heat in the summer and from the cold in winter.
In this design, however, the traditional relationships between house and garden have changed. The house is also a garden, blending into the scenery. Its owners will have to go on a roof, not the patch behind the house to get some herbs.

The interior of the house is as simple as its design. Living area is 110 m2. The ground floor consists of a living room, a kitchen and a multimedia space, perfect for work. It can be fully opened due to sliding walls. On the ground floor, designer placed large closets, which can not only be a storage space (library, walk-in closet and kitchen cabinets), but also vertical walls. On the first floor there are two bedrooms and a bathroom, on the mezzanine there is an additional bathroom with a beautiful view. The inner space of the house is easily connected with the terrace at the rear of the building.

The house is built entirely of wood. Only its foundation is made of concrete. Thermal insulation of the building is increased by its north-south orientation, plants on the structure and double walls. The outer walls are made of polycarbonate and the inner ones - of glass and wood. The house is designed in this way that a small fireplace in the living room can provide heating for the entire space.

Plants in the house were designed by Pierre Georgel from Ecovégétal studio. The house is covered with soil, which looks like the structure of a natural slope. Technical challenge was mainly the steep slope, which required the development of innovative systems to maintain soil and water retention. The plants were selected based on their aesthetic values and their ability to adapt to the environment. Thanks to it, its residents will not have to spend long hours on taking care of this unusual meadow. On the roof, stonecrops, grass, thyme, lavender and other perennial plants or small herbs are growing, they are arranged depending on the roof slope. The construction has been equipped with an automatic irrigation system, but it will be used only during periods of very high drought.

La Maison-vague lives, changes its appearance, colour and scent along with the seasons. New species of plants can be brought here by the wind, insects or birds. It gives the building a unique character.