Pile ou Face Houses / TANK Architectes

© Pierre Manuel Rouxel

Architects: TANK Architectes / Olivier Camus & Lydéric Veauvy
Location: Villeneuve D’ascq, 59, France
Architect in Charge: Mathieu Berteloot
Site area:365 sqm
Constructed area:146 sqm
Budget:$225,000 Euro
Project year:2008
Photographs: Pierre Manuel Rouxel

The project takes its origin when two couples of friends bought two semi-detached plots and tossed them up. Their will to build two twin houses that match together give a particular feature to the project.

ground floor plan

The two houses are made of interlinked volumes which allow each of them not to have direct views on the other but to take advantage of a detached house in town.

On the street side oriented north, the house is established 5 meters back from the street. The 1st floor-room is built in an awkward position that creates a canopy sheltered from rain ans gives to the room natural light from the western window.

© Pierre Manuel Rouxel

The houses are planned around a cross, transparent place which has a vocation to distribute the different functions of the house : stairs, the transparent corridor on the 1st floor, the patio which enlightens the bathroom and offers a view towards the sky.

The way the two families took possession of the places, the living spaces and their gardens make everybody feel like living in a single house while in a semidetached!