Photo credits: Anthony Colas
Nestled in the craggy landscapes of southern Corsica, an exceptional 350 m² villa redefines the codes of modern living. With clean lines and authentic materials, owners Ophélie and Régis have succeeded in integrating a large-scale construction into a wild environment, thanks to ORSOL’s expertise..
A project of architectural freedom
To design the three-storey residence, the couple called on the Bordeaux firm of architects Hubert De Folmont and Jean François Camus.. While the functional program was strictly defined in terms of parts and surfaces, free rein was given to aesthetics.
“Ophélie and Régis had a defined program, number of rooms and surface areas. They gave us a lot of freedom in terms of form and architectural direction,” explains Mr. Camus.
This trust made it possible to design a house that doesn’t subjugate its terrain, but embraces it. To give character to this modernity, the choice of materials was crucial: wood, rendering and stone. As the owners point out: “The idea was to give character to the modernity of the construction through wood, stone and rendering”.
Innovation at the service of the terroir: The “Corse Rosé” shade
One of the major challenges was to respect the visual identity of the Isle of Beauty. The architects wanted to recreate the look of local stone on part of the house, while retaining a modern concrete structure to meet technical performance and overhang requirements..
This is ROCA siding on mesh was selected for this challenge. But the real secret of this integration lies in customization:
“The custom Corse rosé shade was developed by ORSOL especially for this project,” says Mr Camus.
Bluffing” mineral continuity
The house seems literally hemmed in by a hillside landscape dominated by vegetation and rock. The use of ORSOL cladding is not just an aesthetic choice, it’s a strategy of visual continuity.
“We thought it would be interesting to rediscover this stone aspect, which blends perfectly with nature. It’s a continuation of what’s around the house,” explain the architects.
Even for the owners, who wanted to get closer to nature without necessarily wanting a carbon copy, the final realism was a surprise:
“We didn’t want to reproduce natural stone, just get as close to it as possible. However, the assembly pattern and repetition of the motifs is very impressive,” confide Ophélie and Régis.
The last word
Today, this villa is proof that bold architecture can blend perfectly with the mineral tradition of a region. A total success for the owners:
“Today, we’re very satisfied with the result, and have nothing but compliments.