Private residence on the French Riviera, featuring spacious column-free interiors and large windows with expansive views.
Eckersley O’Callaghan provided structural engineering services for this high-end private residence on the peninsula of St Jean Cap Ferrat, in the south of France.
The structure is a mix of concrete lower levels and lightweight steel and timber upper levels. The large central double-height atrium is flanked by two full-height concrete walls. These walls also support the cantilevering gull-wing roof and an internal bridge between the two halves of the residence, which forms a primary line of lateral stability.
Extensive excavation of the peninsula’s rock was required to form the basement garage and stepped floor plates, which follow the slope of the land. At ground level, eight-metre-tall column-free interiors form the main living quarters with large openings into the outer courtyard, while supporting smaller glass enclosures and green roof, sun decks above.
Delicate re-entrant facades, front and back, span the full height using bronze clad cruciform columns to form the geometry and aesthetic of the elevation.
