TLDR:
Key Points:
- French studio Déchelette Architecture completed Casa Franca, a townhouse and artists’ studio in Paris with a large wall of rammed earth
- The 400-square-metre space combines living spaces, artists’ studios, and the headquarters of the charity Greenline Foundation
Summary:
French studio Déchelette Architecture has completed Casa Franca, a townhouse and artists’ studio in Paris distinguished by a large wall of rammed earth. The 400-square-metre space combines living spaces for its owner and resident artists with the headquarters of the charity Greenline Foundation, which uses art to encourage the preservation of forests. In line with the foundation’s mission, Déchelette Architecture said it designed Casa Franca as an “ode to the forest”, prioritising biomaterials including cross-laminated timber (CLT) and rammed earth.
The facade of Casa Franca is one of the first examples of rammed earth construction in Paris and has been finished with steel lintels, sills, and balustrades to contrast the roughness of the material. The use of the traditional rammed-earth technique provides hygrothermal, acoustic, and thermal benefits to the house. The layout creates a gradation in privacy from the ground floor upwards, with the more public artists’ studio by the entrance, the artists’ accommodation above, and the owner’s bedroom at the top of the building.
Throughout the interiors of Casa Franca, a natural material palette is used, including textural panels in travertine stone, birch wood, and metal. The design also incorporates animal murals, bespoke furniture pieces, and a symbolic “tree” motif that cuts through all levels of the home. The upper levels of the building are clad in aluminium and set back from the rammed-earth facade, allowing for a terrace and planted rooftop space.