The Building that Grows is a rare encounter between architect and developer in the field of desires. The desire was for something different, material, purposeful, pleasurable, ephemeral and meaningful.
© Nicolas Borel . Published on February 22, 2013.
The study of the balcony was a key part of the project. There are “balcony-gardens” to dine in with many friends, “balcony-cabins” perched among the trees for more intimate encounters, “balcony-lookouts” to curiously explore the foliage of the treetops, and “balcony-terraces” for reflection and contemplation. The project could have been called “the balcony in all its forms” but instead it was named “the building that grows.”
© Nicolas Borel . Published on February 22, 2013.
One morning, when handling rocks, chicken wire , and concrete, we invented a living skin. It had to grow; to sprout. We put bags of potting soil and plants behind the stones. We watered it with organic fertilizer. It was seeded by mountain climbers. Then we installed an automatic irrigation system on the façade.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
The building grows. Slowly. Its skin has become a kind of mini-ecosystem. The water collects in the interstices, algae forms and then dies, mosses grow and herbs colonize the resulting compost. Scattered, physical traces reflect these transformations.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
This project was used in a campaign for architectural quality by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
Photo by Paul Raftery. Published on February 22, 2013.
Photo by Paul Raftery. Published on February 22, 2013.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.
© Maison Edouard François . Published on February 22, 2013.