For thirty years, Fougeron Architecture has deployed its modernist vision to find the perfect alignment between architectural idea and built form. The Suspension House is a prime example of this breathtaking challenge. Looking at it, it resembles a cross between Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and the impossible architectures of M.C. Escher. The redesign of this house, suspended between two Californian hills, embraces a stream while also boasting its own waterfall in the backyard. "A man-made object in nature can exist in harmony or disparity ," emphasizes Anne Fougeron, the firm's founder. "In this part of California, it is no longer legal to suspend houses over a stream. Therefore, there were strict guidelines on how to use the existing structure as a basis for design."

While the renovation retained 50% of the existing timber structure, the aim was to enhance its relationship with the environment. The orientation of the first two levels follows that of the existing house, while the new third-floor structure rotates 90° to better integrate with the terrain. The system, designed by the firm, is anchored to the rock face on the hillside, suspending the architecture above the water. Anne Fougeron then envisioned it as an open structure using transparent materials: ubiquitous windows, transparent floors, outdoor spaces, and straight, intersecting, and floating staircases. The Suspension House, surrounded by water features, completes its striking architectural appearance at the summit, with a roof conceived as a dynamic, light-filled space.

fougeron.com

Nathalie Dassa