TWO PEOPLE COTTAGE

Location: Etretat, Normandy, France

The project is intended for a cliff face overlooking the English Channel, flanked by a green pasture on an expansive plateau. The construction was designed to mimic the topography and blend with the geographic surroundings. The cliffs are approximately 180 meters high. 

This vacation home was designed as a getaway apt for two people. One design objective was to integrate the natural vista and landscape into the lived-in space. This was accomplished by incorporating crystal walls throughout the construction that allowed for a 180 degree purview from any vantage in the home.

The colors, the materials, and the lines harmonize with the environment around it to avoid visual disparity and disruptions of the natural landscape. Through state-of-the-art construction techniques equilibrium between the framework and the cliff face were implemented that gave an impression of weightlessness. 

The terrain was chosen due to the difficulty of construction and the precise location of the house on the precipice and not on the plateau was premeditated: the goal was to evoke a dynamic balance between the themes of artificial/natural and resting/exhilarating.