The ceilings in our farmhouses are traditionally barely more than 2 meters high. While this is accepted as is in living spaces, we believe it is important to think in three dimensions to improve these historic homes, which are now spatially constrained by federal land-use planning laws. Nevertheless, these spaces offer us numerous possibilities for volumetric development; while limited in terms of living area, cubic meters, on the other hand, are not regulated!

Extensive masonry and structural work was therefore undertaken, first to stabilize the foundation during the leveling of the ground floor slab, then to reinforce the foundation, and finally to redefine the floors, which remain closely tied to the facade openings, which were left untouched.

This allowed us to create a single-level apartment on the ground floor, spanning two half-levels, with ceiling heights reaching up to 2.70 meters! Upstairs, we retained the bedrooms within the historic structure, with standard ceiling heights of 2.45 meters to give these rooms a more intimate feel. Then, taking advantage of the high ceilings of the barn bridge, the living spaces unfold across expansive volumes, bathed in natural light from above, with a walkway constructed using period materials that reveals the entire load-bearing structure, preserved in its original state (albeit with some structural reinforcement).

Special attention was paid to natural light, as the apartment could not be designed as a dual-aspect unit due to legal restrictions related to increasing floor area in an agricultural zone. We therefore had to be particularly ingenious in bringing in sufficient natural light to meet housing standards, without overly impacting the facades… We therefore opted for a double bay window, set back from the facades. One large opening leads to the exterior, and the other leads to an interior terrace, carefully designed within the barn. In this way, we provide not only beautiful light and natural cross-ventilation, but also an elegant interplay between heated interior spaces, a covered outdoor area, and an exterior terrace.