Barba Jupiter
STUDIO FOR A PAINTER - SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN ENERGY
The project presented is a large house open to the ocean, on an island off the west coast of France. Its clients did not intend to inhabit it year-round but desired a comfortable place for their stay. The house was designed for one or twelve people, without the space feeling crowded. The organization of the house follows a strictly linear plan. Spaces are arranged side by side to offer a view from each room: the Atlantic Ocean and the horizon as daily scenery.
Immobile yet alive, this architecture draws nourishment from its surroundings, builds reserves, transforms the sun or wind into energy, absorbs or repels to create habitability. It may not have the complexity of a tree, but it carries an understanding of this Mediterranean territory within itself.
It uses it to intertwine with this natural and fragile network. It is an architecture that not only opens up to the sea but also offers intimacy with the landscape place.
Stone walls, a large overhanging roof to shield from the sun, arches to facilitate the flow of air. The archetypes of Mediterranean architecture. This spacious studio is permeated by the site. The exterior and interior blend together to accommodate the work of this painter and provide him with the light he needs.
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Barba Jupiter, Anthyllis barba-jovis, or Jupiter's beard, is the name given to a plant endemic to the
Mediterranean basin and the island of Porquerolles. It grows amidst the rocks and thrives in very
arid conditions, facing the sea's spray. It is one of the terrestrial plants that grow in this final strip
before the sea, like a last bastion.
