Hourré House in Labastide Villefranche, France by Collectif Encore.



The original roof of the old barn had collapsed and dragged the upper story down, turning the house into a forest, with the main room becoming the clearing. “We immediately thought – let’s not change anything”, said Collectif Encore. So they kept the roof opening intact.



The architects transformed the doors into exterior sliding windows that disappear when opened. “Unlike many architects who try to recreate sunsets with each of their projects, we believe that it is sufficient (and much more economical) to integrate it into our building.”

When starting this project, one of the main questions the architects had to answer was: “How to renovate a 700 sqm farm with a reduced budget?” 
One rule was to do the least possible and create 50% outdoor spaces.

The covered terrace acts as a buffer that shelters the house from the wind and the sun, and a double-height transition between inside and outside.

It was love at first sight for me as it was for Collectif Encore when they set their eyes on the crumbling farmhouse in Labastide Vallafranche. Inspired by the architecture’s possible eventual demise and the potential of biophilic design, the French architecture practice took what remains as the shell of a stone mason, collapsed roof and floor to transform it into what is now known as Hourré House.

Located in French Basque Country, this two-storey family residence moulds itself to the breathtaking landscape and time. Outside and within, Hourré House is brought forward to a rustic provincial aesthetic. Walls at 70 centimetres thick are repainted into white and kept as effective insulation. Existing timber frames remain exposed, and barn doors are made into windows. Floors are either repaved with polished concrete or wooden boards, whereas doorframes and timber roof structures are painted in spring leafy green.

The sun is low in winter and warms the outdoor space. When the sun rises in summer, the roof protects both human and plant life. The opening in the roof allows natural watering of the garden and upstairs views of the Pyrenees.

Surrounded on three sides, the bathroom is cut off from the wind, becoming a ‘suncatcher’ with its own microclimate. “You can take showers there all year round, but the best thing is to go to the toilet under a starry sky,” explain the architects.

“Instead of creating partitions and making expensive openings in those thick walls, we left the spaces as is. By letting the house invent itself, we discover a daily life that we could not have invented ourselves.”

The 25 sqm bathroom is no longer just a bathroom – it becomes a library, a living room, a playroom or whatever you want it to become.

Another thing Encore had to design was a series of ramps throughout the property, as one of the family members is in a wheelchair. “Here again, instead of installing an elevator, we opted for the economical (and never broken) solution of wooden ramps.”

Under a tight budget, the architects were careful to apply minimal changes to the farmhouse and took advantage of areas that many would have removed or restored.

At 220-square-metres and taking full account of the natural light and existing walls, the ground floor of Hourré House is retrofitted with open living and dining space in the centre while a bathroom, sheltered terrace, bedroom and storage is reserved behind the existing walls.

Adjacent to the farmhouse is an existing barn, which has been reshaped into a workspace. Above the desking is a former hayloft, demolished and reinvigorated into an 80-square-metre western terrace connected to a wooden ramp. The upper floor, accessible via the staircase in the kitchen or the western terrace, includes an additional multipurpose living, study, double-height dormitory and two bedrooms that overlook Pyrénées Mountains.

“We always create spaces that know how to do several things at the same time,” explain Encore. “A staircase is also a place to sit, a tier to watch the chef cook, it can also become a shelf, a desk, a bar, a storage space, kitchen appliances, etc. Thanks to a simple construction system that allows ‘mass’ production, we create nightstands-stairs and bed-shelves; library that doubles as a stair railing; wardrobe beds and even parquet floors that turn into an office.”

“Since a guardrail can only do one thing, we replace it with a construction safety net. It can serve as a balustrade and become at will a playroom, a sofa, a hammock, a place to read and study the clouds or the flight of the royal kites, to observe the stars… Or just a huge bed for the guests afterwards. A celebration.”

How Collectif Encore approach Hourré House resembles an affectionate patchworking of a beloved plush companion. Where there is a hole in the upper floor, a netted hammock is replaced; where there is a hole in the roof, the architects filled it with movable skylights.

Despite the first floor being a place of rest and retreat – the architects instilled porosity that can be felt from below. As light travels through, gridded shadows are cast from the netted flooring. A sense of connectivity is palpable through the lack of full-height walls between two floors. Embracing the opportunity presented by the collapsed roof, the architects introduced an outdoor bathroom that looks towards the rolling hills – which I highly recommend enjoying with a glass of chilled bubbles.

Only when the landscape and the people are really part of the house can it come to life.

By leaving room for its inhabitants (humans, insects, trees, birds, flowers and earthworms), the house is not invented once but instead, it is invented every day. A living house is a happy house, capable of sharing its happiness. This is how architecture makes life more beautiful than architecture.

As Hourré House was conceived through the impression of nature reclaiming the architecture, the architects designed entrances and intermediate spaces to incorporate green areas into the design. An indoor double-height terrace on Southside almost acts like a folly for birds to rest and foliage to creep inside. Exposed timber roofing also present holes for vines and fauna to crawl and grow. Even the red and white coloured tiles of the outdoor bathroom are reminiscent of the scattered red roof tiles and dried leaves that previously covered the house.

Where a collapsed ruin could have been hastily demolished and replaced – Collectif Encore saw it as a diamond in the rough. Behind its unassuming appearance, Hourré House is a terrarium-like home ready to welcome guests. With added timber furniture and joinery with an unpolished finish, there is a level of boastfulness and humbleness within the family residence that makes the home so delightful.

Even the adolescent in me feels she has found her dream retirement home.

[Images courtesy of Collectif Encore. Photography by Collectif Encore and Michel Bonvin.]