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Alma 24
By : Réflex Paysage
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN 18th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture - Private Residence : Gold certification
Alma 24 is a bold architecture project where the fusion between the building and the landscape guided the entire creative process. From the beginning of the design to completion, close communication was established between our landscape architecture team, architect Maria Jose Benech, designer Stéphane Asselin, and the owners. Together, with great sensitivity, we worked to soften every gesture so that the intervention blended with nature.
Upon arrival, a first volume marks the project's threshold. Cars are concealed there, initiating a transition towards immersion in architecture and landscape.
It is clad in local slate stone on two facades, marking the transition between the artificial and the natural. Large planting masses have allowed the surroundings to be renaturalized.
The modulation of the terrain was carried out with finesse. Soils and plantings were deliberately raised, giving the main residence an appearance of flotation, as if it had been delicately placed on the ground.
As one progresses, the presence of the residence is revealed, as well as the grandeur of the site. Lake Saint-Jean appears in a precise framing, encircled by the residence itself.
Under the house, a vast terrace hugs the preserved rocks. The layout was thought out in every detail: outdoor shower with bench, Argentinian wood-fired BBQ, outdoor kitchen, dining island, living room. Each space strengthens the connection with the landscape and the lake.
Except for the areas near the building, the entire site has been treated in a global gesture of renaturalization. The shore has received particular care. A staircase in local slate has been integrated so discreetly that it blends with the existing rocks.
A bit further, a second small beach and a wood-heated bath enrich the experience. Water is pumped from the lake, heated with wood, and then returned without any chemical additives, thanks to an ingenious ecological system.
The main gesture of the project was to restore the site's natural character with gentle, sometimes imperceptible, landscape architecture. Located in a harsh climate (zone 3b), the project took advantage of a limited plant palette by highlighting native and adapted species.
This unique place leaves no one indifferent. Over time, nature flourishes, enriching and magnifying each intervention.
Collaboration
Landscape architecture : Réflex Paysage
Photo credit