Copenhagen- and Rotterdam based architects Powerhouse Company have completed a spiral-shaped extension to a house in Burgundy, France. Called Spiral House, the extension is arranged around a central patio, where the visitors can enter the structure.

“We want a house with a twist, a house that has something something to say.”
The Spiral house is an extension of an existing house. Set amongst a generous property covering 13.000m2, crossed by a small river and planted with a wide variety of old ornamental trees, the Spiral House rests within the pastoral charm of the Burgundy landscape.


Despite its traditional architecture the existing house struggled to inhabit and occupy the expansive garden. In contrast the Spiral House expands freely into the garden, seeking to create as many experiences of the garden as possible. 
In a gentle lift from the ground floor to the roof level it creates a surprising variety of spaces that blur the boundaries between the house and the garden where the architecture and the landscape merge together.

In wrapping the house around a planted patio the Spiral House is reminiscent of a french ‘Clos’: an enclosed vineyard common to the famous landscape of the region. In the Spiral House the ‘Clos’ is transformed into an inviting gesture, the peripheral wall is lifted and twisted to create a spiral. In turn it creates a continuous invitation from outside to inside and a continuous movement from the entrance to the more intimate rooms of the house.


The patio, the covered terrace and the panoramic views serve to connect the house with the garden, inviting the guests to unwind and enjoy the garden’s tranquillity. Its geometry grew out of the internal organization of the house mixed with the particular requests of the client. Large and open rooms with high ceilings are used on the ground floor for the living room and library, while smaller, more intimate spaces are used for two guest suites. It also includes a multipurpose dorm/playroom for the kids and their friends.



Visit villa 1 by Powerhouse Company on archiDE, here
Photographs are by Bas Princen. Drawings are by Charles Bessard, architect-in-charge and partner of Powerhouse Company.
German designers 







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Some students from the
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