Le Chalet, Paris, 2023

Chalet is a private residence project located in a hidden corner of Paris. Originally built as an automobile repair workshop, the building was later converted into an artist’s atelier, leaving behind a rich spatial character defined by generous proportions, high ceilings, abundant natural light, and a pit in the floor. What made the project remarkable was the client's eye for discovering a home within this unconventional setting. Reinterpreting a former workshop as a dwelling felt like an architectural gesture in itself, reaffirming that architecture is not only about creating new spaces but also about discovering new perspectives within existing conditions. The architecture itself remains unchanged, yet through the reinterpretation of its cultural and historical value and the addition of a new touch, the same object begins to shine in a new way. This is a significant example of architecture as a living archive. Our intervention was deliberately simple. A dining area organized around the original pit, a simple box accommodating private spaces, and a staircase volume were recomposed within the existing shell. Together, these elements form a delicate, sculpture-like domestic landscape, maintaining the atmosphere of the former workshop while opening it to a new chapter of inhabitation.

Images : Archiee studio