In the Vercors Region, a Stone and Timber House Designed by Perrodin
In Lanchurel (Isère), for a private client, Atelier Perrodin delivered a 140 m² stone and timber house on the slopes of the Vercors in 2023. Cost: undisclosed. Press release. It was on the western side of a short valley in northern Vercors that an urban family chose to establish their vacation retreat. At the valley’s end, the village of Lanchurel and its bell tower face the sun rising behind limestone ridges. From the nearby Valence TGV station, after crossing the Isère River, one winds up these hundreds-of-meters-high cliffs to seek refuge for several days in this house resembling a shepherd’s hut.
At 950 meters above sea level, the setting is pastoral, with magnificent mountain views. The plot slopes eastward, capturing the first morning light, with seasonal landscapes shifting from emerald green to snowy white. The house anchors into the hillside via a row of massive stone pillars. These support a rustic framework of peeled spruce trunks, which in turn bear a cantilevered metal roof sheltering those below. On the south side, a spacious terrace extends from the living room, allowing year-round enjoyment of the mountain’s clear sunlight. Untreated larch fencing fills the spaces between the stone pillars. Stone and timber—two natural materials—harmonize with the surrounding peaks.
Guided by friendly Parisian colleagues, the family trusted in an architecture as simple and natural as sulfur-free wine! Yet simplicity is profoundly difficult, though the gesture itself may seem easy. It requires rigorous self-discipline and mastery of materials, allowing them to express themselves without exceeding their inherent limits. But why seek more exaggerated architectural gestures to impress? Why rely on quirky objects to attract viewers starved for stimulation in mundane lives, or glossy magazine spreads pandering to mass taste to sell advertising inserts? For the mountains are beautiful, and even as winter approaches, we, like the shepherd in Giono’s tales, believe life can flow happily in a simple shepherd’s hut—the world’s original manger.
In the Vercors, this 140 m² house features a representative structure using approximately 20 m³ of local spruce from surrounding forests, processed within 10 km of the site. The load-bearing structure of stone and solid wood is paired with natural larch siding, laid diagonally to continue the building’s organic aesthetic, while broad overhanging eaves protect it from the elements. The layout is rational: a spacious, ventilated living area extends southward to a covered terrace. Guest rooms open eastward, directly connected to the outdoors through large floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the views. Using stone and solid wood, the architecture reinterprets traditional craftsmanship.