Bonnard Wœffray — Architectes FAS / SIA

Martinho Les Neyres Residence

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

MARTINHO LES NEYRES RESIDENCE

Bonnard Woeffray Architectes

PHOTOGRAPHS
Hannes Henz

AREA
285 m²

YEAR
2007

CATEGORY
Houses

LOCATION
Bex, Switzerland

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

Text description provided by architect.

The dwelling is located in Les Neyres, a hamlet situated on the slopes above Monthey where the vineyards stop and the chestnut woods start – a situation that is neither plane nor mountain.

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

That said, the planning requirements dictate an alpine vernacular in an area zoned for chalet-style building.

In its composition of volumes and use of materials, the project engages with the requirements by reinterpreting the characteristic image of an Illiez Valley chalet.

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

The lines of the angled roof are incorporated within the volume of the house. The plan takes the form of a deformed hexagon.

The autonomous volume appears inserted into the ground with no impact on the natural slope of the terrain.

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

The only exception to this is the entrance lobby, which cuts into the incline and seems almost detached from the house.

Starting from the lobby, the interior layout forms an ascent towards the countryside: first horizontally, with the long, narrow window that illuminates both the succession of day spaces and the nucleus of the kitchen; then vertically, with the tall bathroom window.

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

The facades and roof are one. The glazed openings, of which there are few, are flush with the facade to reinforce the sense of mass.

The envelope is clad in rough pine boards sporting a black stain finish, its silhouette reminiscent of an ancestral chalet nestling in the landscape.

Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz

The interior, by contrast, is uniformly and immaterially white, reinforcing the framing context of the landscape.

The sole use of colour is orange, present in the see-through windbreak on the terrace, the lightweight translucent dividing walls of the walk-in closets, the cladding of the music room, and the entrance lobby.


Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
© Hannes Henz


Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Plan
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
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Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Plan
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
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Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Elevation
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Elevation
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Elevation
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Elevation
Martinho Les Neyres Residence
Section

Bonnard Wœffray — Architectes FAS / SIA
T +41 24 4722970
Bonnard Wœffray — Architectes FAS / SIA
Av. de France 24, 1870 Monthey, Switzerland