Saint-Ange Residency / Studio Odile Decq

Architects: Studio Odile Decq
Location: 34 Rue du Bournet, 38180 Seyssins, France
Area: 185.0 sqm
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Roland Halbe

Structure Studies: BATISERF
Fluids: AXESS
General Contractor: SEMA
Urbanism: Jocelyne Icart
Structural Work: SORAETEC
Structure Contractor: BOIS CONSEIL
Carpentry: Mr JOLY BOIS
Electricity: EDMI
Plumbing: EDMI

From the architect. The placement of the Saint-Ange Residency, on the lower side of the plateau of Tour Saint-Ange’s park, beyond the vegetable garden, under the trees and on the slope leading toward the Grenoble’s golf course – was definitively a challenge.

The site is beautiful for its unobstructed view on Grenoble’s valley, but difficult for its hard and narrow slope.

This is why, when discovering the site, and despite all the difficulties, creating a view overlooking the entire valley became the dominant idea. A belvedere became the evident solution: to see as much of the valley as pos- sible by going above the trees, but without ever having a reverse view in order to protect the intimacy of the Tour Saint-Ange and its park.

The studio was therefore thought of as a kind of tower on 3 different levels that twist to reach the view beyond the valley.

This is monolithic architecture, a silent piece of art, made entirely from wood, with a natural finish on the inside and a black asphalt finish on the outside. During the daytime, multiple openings on the facade allow the light to pour into the living rooms, the studio and the two levels above – from 3 different directions (except from the north side facing the Tour Saint-Ange).

At night, the wood blinds treated with the exact same finish as the facade hide the windows and allow the monolith to become all black and quiet once again.