This house is built on a particularly constrained site formerly occupied by a joinery workshop, enclosed between two party walls, a road to the south and a rock face to the north. The decision to preserve the existing façade reflects both the former owners’ wish to retain the memory of the place and the new owners’ desire to build with the past rather than erase it.

The project develops vertically in search of daylight, views and outdoor extensions to the living spaces. From the first floor upwards, the volumes gradually shift to create a sequence of open spaces associated with the different functions of the house: a patio behind the retained façade, a covered terrace adjoining the living spaces, and a roof terrace extending the parents’ suite. The clients’ interest in Japanese architecture and traditions informed the project’s exploration of the relationship between interior and exterior.

The retained façade, the rock face and the two party walls are no longer perceived as constraints but as the protective boundaries of a series of interior worlds. The outdoor spaces naturally extend the living areas and become an integral part of daily life. They share the same sense of scale as the interior spaces, enriching the experience of inhabiting the house.

The internal organisation responds directly to the qualities of the site. The ground floor occupies the full width of the plot, accommodating the daily living functions that benefit from natural daylight, while the technical spaces are located against the rock face. The first-floor bedrooms open directly onto the patio. The second-floor living spaces project southwards in a glazed cantilever, while the covered terrace establishes a more intimate relationship with the cliff. Beneath the roof, the parents’ suite enjoys views towards the forest and opens onto a south-facing roof terrace.

The project relies on simple and durable materials: exposed concrete ceilings, mineral-coloured cast floors and a continuous metal cladding that unifies the different volumes. In contrast with the retained façade and the mineral presence of the rock, this contemporary intervention demonstrates how the constraints of a site can become the very foundations of the architectural concept.