[ Barnes Coy Architects ] St. Barts Residence

Architect: Barnes Coy Architects / Robert Barnes and Chris Coy
Location: St. Barthelemy, France
Project Architect: Charles Sferrazza
Interiors: Lynne Grossman
Builder: Xavier David EURL
Floor Area: Interior 3,000 sq. ft.; Terraces 3,500 sq. ft.
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Robert Moore Brown

The house is sited on a high, thin peninsula, affording 270 degree views from South through West to North. The long axis of the house is perpendicular to the axis of the peninsula, aligning it with sunrise and sunset. The main space is open from North to South, with bedrooms behind a wall that angles away toward the South-East, making the space wider at the West end of the house. The effect is akin to a lens opening up to the view across a bay and other islands beyond. Each bedroom opens to a private walled terrace with an outdoor shower beneath a pergola.

The West and South facades are floor-to-ceiling glass panels. The glass panels part at the corner and slide into the exterior walls, opening the house completely and allowing the Pennsylvania Limestone wall to extend beyond without interruption. This allows for a seamless connection between the main living space and the exterior spaces, engaging the entire site as an extension of the house.

The walls are Pennsylvania limestone, floors are sucupira wood, countertops are polished concrete, terraces are bluestone.

from  archdaily