Tiny “floating” cube extends a charming 19th century house in France

This small prefabricated extension of a 19th-century house in eastern France is a minimalist floating box hiding among the trees.

Lyon-based Playtime Agence d'Architecture designed the 45-square-meter (484 square foot) XS Extension to accommodate a comfortable kitchen and living area without competing with the style of the existing building.

The architects designed a small metallic white volume raised off the ground and inserted between two existing trees. They produced a simple, balanced volume with minimalist lines that blend in with the main building. Positioned as closely as possible to one of the existing trees, a projection was used to create a balcony that can be accessed via the kitchen. The whole has been designed to be as open as possible. Identical angles and lengths were used in the upper, lower and lateral sections of the structure, freeing up a threshold between the interior and exterior, the lower section of which can be occupied.

Raised using piles and cantilevers, the pavilion increases the feeling of lightness and reduces its visual impact on the site. The structure was built using mainly dry construction methods and prefabricated metal components, with the main framework supporting the column-beam structure. An entirely glazed, lower volume acts as a “hatch” separating the two buildings. White perforated aluminum sheet metal envelops the structure and creates a sort of skin that further accentuates the extension’s abstract look.