The Barn

Renovated by Antonin Ziegler Architecte, in Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit, France, the barn features a shell of zinc that covers the roof and walls to conserve the monolithic, agricultural architecture.

In the Regional Natural Park of Boucles de la Seine, a barn in ruins was reconverted into a place of residence. The new shelter was built onto the existing one. A zinc shell covers the roof and the walls to conserve a monolithic, agricultural architecture with few openings.

The framework is the fundamental element of the new residence. From the outside, it remains partially visible, beneath the zinc envelope, thus conferring an incomplete aspect to the construction, as though eroded by the surrounding nature. The windows and doors are visually understated: the archetypal house is kept at bay to give rise to another kind of habitat, more in keeping with the surrounding wilderness. A lone “crack” that pierces the roof and walls thus gives the project the appearance of a contemporary ruin.

The patina of natural zinc that develops quickly reinforces the impression of a building that has always been there. The whole process of construction remains apparent: from the stone foundations, to the half-timbered framework, entirely visible in the interior space. The choice of interior materials expresses the same desire for rusticity as the exterior: breezeblocks, battens, exposed concrete slabs, and so on.