maintain the transparency between the courtyard to the
south, and the broad views down the Luberon valley to
the north. Three distinct plywood volumes, like large
crates integrating storage and wet spaces, structure
the open plan of the bedroom wing. Hidden sliding
doors divide the space into bedrooms and bathrooms
depending on occupancy.
Overall Svenstedt has been able to in the architecture
and interior design scheme here project an air of the
contemporary within the old. Although each has its own
distinct layer the commonality of the old and new stone
surfaces is deftly unified in the overall design strategy the
key element of which is the massive limestone blocks.
His transformation of archaic building methods in large
monolith stone blocks to present day purpose is executed
with a level of environmental and building practicality that
makes his architecture powerful but completely appropriate
to present day use. The term “vernacular avant-garde”
used to describe Perraudin’s techniques in stone blocks
is equally pertinent to the architecture of Svenstedt’s
Stone House with the added element of the architect’s
sophisticated manipulation of space. Taking into account
the scale of the natural beauty of the Luberon valley to
the special qualities of the building site, the architect’s
skill has been to provide access to all these qualities in
the spatial organization and experience of the House. The
architectonic rationale in stone and timber merged with
an idea for modern living gives the Stone House a strong
architecture completely at peace with its surroundings.
TEMMUZ - AĞUSTOS 2013 / JULY - AUGUST 2013 • NATURA 67