Architecture

Maison D: A no-frills family home at an affordable price

Maison D: A no-frills family home at an affordable price
The two-story Maison D has a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
The two-story Maison D has a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Maison D is Located in Couëron, near Nantes, Western France (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Maison D is Located in Couëron, near Nantes, Western France (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
Maison D features the same the kind of utilitarian aesthetic we've admired in Spanish homes like Espinar House and the Pop Up House but goes even further (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Maison D features the same the kind of utilitarian aesthetic we've admired in Spanish homes like Espinar House and the Pop Up House but goes even further (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
Though it's completed, the home lends an appearance of a half-finished project you might expect to see on a building site (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Though it's completed, the home lends an appearance of a half-finished project you might expect to see on a building site (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
The two-story Maison D has a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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The two-story Maison D has a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
The home comprises a wooden frame and is clad in polycarbonate tiles (plus what looks like some aluminum siding too) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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The home comprises a wooden frame and is clad in polycarbonate tiles (plus what looks like some aluminum siding too) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
The total cost of the stripped-down home came in at a relatively inexpensive €114, 674 (roughly US$128,000 (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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The total cost of the stripped-down home came in at a relatively inexpensive €114, 674 (roughly US$128,000 (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
The recently-completed Maison D, by Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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The recently-completed Maison D, by Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
Architectural plan of Maison D (Image: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme)
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Architectural plan of Maison D (Image: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme)
Maison D is Located in Couëron, near Nantes, Western France (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Maison D is Located in Couëron, near Nantes, Western France (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
Interior shot of Maison D (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Interior shot of Maison D (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
Architectural plan of Maison D (Image: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme)
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Architectural plan of Maison D (Image: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme)
The home comprises a wooden frame and is clad in polycarbonate tiles (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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The home comprises a wooden frame and is clad in polycarbonate tiles (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
(Image: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme)
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(Image: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme)
Maison D features the same the kind of utilitarian aesthetic we've admired in Spanish homes like Espinar House and the Pop Up House but goes even further (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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Maison D features the same the kind of utilitarian aesthetic we've admired in Spanish homes like Espinar House and the Pop Up House but goes even further (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
The two-story Maison D has a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
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The two-story Maison D has a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft) (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
View gallery - 15 images

Are our houses over-engineered? They're certainly expensive, thanks in part to the building materials and labor required to construct them. Maison D, by Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme, makes an interesting argument for using budget building materials to produce a stripped-down family house at a relatively affordable price.

Located in a suburban area of Couëron, near Nantes, Western France, Maison D features the same kind of utilitarian aesthetic we've admired in Spanish homes like the Espinar House and the Pop Up House, but goes even further in the pursuit of saving a buck.

The two-story home boasts a total floorspace of 148 sq m (1,593 sq ft), which is spread over two bathrooms, a car and a bicycle garage, a kitchen and dining area, a lounge, two bedrooms, a conservatory and a covered roof terrace. The interior decor is dominated by unfinished wood and OSB (oriented strand board), with large sliding doors opening the rooms to the outside.

Interior shot of Maison D (Photo: Philippe Ruault)
Interior shot of Maison D (Photo: Philippe Ruault)

Maison D's structure is similarly basic, consisting of a wooden frame clad in polycarbonate tiles, plus what appears to be some aluminum siding around the garage areas. While it looks like it would be perfectly comfortable – if not a little lacking in privacy – on a nice mild day, we'd be concerned about maintaining a comfortable temperature year-round.

Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme obviously recognized this issue and to mitigate it, the firm installed several large operable windows and canvas shading, while heat is provided by a pellet-burning stove. In addition, the home's layout ensures the living spaces are shielded from solar heat gain and the worst of the cold.

Maison D was completed in 2014 and the total cost of the project came in at a relatively inexpensive €114,674 (roughly US$128,000).

Source: Fouquet Architecture Urbanisme via Arch Daily

View gallery - 15 images
3 comments
3 comments
Bob Flint
Still too costly for an un-insulated, unfinished, ugly fire hazard, that may last a year or so then look even worse after the sun & rain, not to mention snow or ice, France typical...
RESISTANCE
$128K and beyond ugly. Wow..... Cost efficient and energy efficient does not mean the house has to look like it's half finished by the builder. The Solar Decathlon that is held on the Washington, DC Mall are good model examples of housing units that can be super energy efficient, good looking and low cost.Sorry, I don't think this house is Gizmag worthy....
Jay Finke
I like it ! now I could keep an eye on the neighbors while I take a shower, and vice versa.