Clone House

Bois-Colombes, France

Photo © Jérôme Ricolleau

Photo © Hervé Abbadie

Photo © Jérôme Ricolleau

Photo © Hervé Abbadie

Photo © Jérôme Ricolleau

Architects: Moussafir Architectes

Location: Rue Charcot, 92600 Bois-Colombes, France
Year: 2011

In order to preserve the identity of this classic brick-and-stone suburban house and at the same time double its surface area, we decided to duplicate it by adding two side blocks, or «clones,» positioned at right angles to each other and replacing an old tool shed. This arrangement has allowed us to create a harmonious trio of buildings set around an inner garden while respecting the street alignment. The new house consists of three distinct elementary blocks, a square and two rectangles, separated by narrow glazed gaps and topped with matching gable roofs. Boasting a new truncated roof that lets light from the south into the living areas laid out on the north side, the «stem cell» blends in so well with its extensions that it becomes hard to distinguish the old from the new. This is achieved through coordinating shapes, materials and fenestration. The load-bearing brickwork that defines the character of the original building reappears in the new build as external protection for the insulation layer – and, vice versa, rough load-bearing breezeblocks of the two extensions line the walls of the original structure, insulating it from within. To complete the fusion, large windows framed in larch wood boxes pierce each of the three volumes, offering north-south visual perspectives throughout the house and into the garden.