Up in the mountains at an altitude of 1200 meters, this house perched on a cliff edge came about as the result of a special request of a client seeking both distance from and a break with the city. Dressed in local stone mounted upon concrete walls, the SC house was approached as a dislocation, its outer skin torn from the mountain it seems to resemble.
Only the façade overlooking the drop is entirely open. Inside, the sensation of looking upward is emphasized, only surrounding peaks are framed by the view, erasing all visual connection with the ground.
A large central patio concentrates these tensions and amplifies the surroundings. Though inaudible from outside, the sound of a nearby brook can here be heard quite clearly. The house works on the perception that it serves as sounding board, as enlarger. Its apparent proximity to the sky and the clouds render it monolithic, unreal. It seems as though it has been part of the mountain, for aeons.
Project Details:
Location: Akoura, Lebanon
Type: Residential
Project Total Area: 450 sqm
Built: 2010-2013
Architects: Y.Tohme Architects – www.yousseftohme.com
Main Architect: Youssef Tohme
Associate Architect: Anastasia Elrouss
Project Architect: Muhammad Mahdi
Consultant Architects: Christophe Hurgon
Structural Consulting Engineer: Esmat Elhachem
Mechanical Consulting Engineer: Roger Kazopoulo
Electrical Consulting Engineer: Gilbert Tambourgi
General Contractor: LAYOUT contracting&consulting
Very nice! Gives new meaning to the word ‘retreat’.
In a place like Lebanon- I would think that word is an oxymoron!