A "brutalist" building topped by a car park is transformed into a home. The architects Associati excavate, triturate, recover and metamorphose the volume and the materials and present an architecture of excellence where "structure" and materiality shine through. Savièse has a long history as a village that has been in a state of flux for many years. A few vernacular buildings still survive. These traditional buildings housed and still house soapstone stoves, which are both functional and decorative elements. They bear the date, initials and coat of arms of the owners. This stone with its calorific properties came from the valley opposite, in the Val de Bagnes.
détail réfractaire is the title given to the three sculptures in Evolène soapstone resting, lying or perched in this home. Their materiality evokes memories of the stoves of yesteryear, symbolising the heat of the furnaces. The organic, sometimes futuristic sculptural forms draw their inspiration from the karstic formations of the Zanfleuron lapiaz, a geomorphological site emblematic of the region. These sculptures are interventions and gestures that bring rock into the home as a decorative element, like the stone stoves from Evolène or the fragments of lapiaz in the gardens. They reintegrate the house into a dual history: that of contemporary architecture and that of traditional materials and a local landscape.
This project demonstrates a profound link between contemporary architecture and local tradition, leading to a reflection on the sustainable use of resources and the finiteness of the materials that surround us. It invites us to observe the landscape and natural elements as sufficient resources, where the old and the new converge harmoniously.
on the wall: détail réfractaire (flanc), 2024, Evolène stone (prasinite), 55 × 35.5 × 16.5 cm
on the floor: détail réfractaire (ruissellement), 2024, Evolène stone (prasinite), 67 × 32 × 15.5 cm
on pillar: détail réfractaire (traverse), 2024, Evolène stone (prasinite), 20 × 15 × 11.5 cm
Photos: Claire Alhanko – Eiiws & Lydia Genecand
