能動性を引き出す立体住戸リノベーション

駅から続く坂道を越え10分ほど歩いていくと、緑に包まれた小高い丘が現れます。その丘の上にこの白く小さな建物は建っています。Bateau-Lavoir（バトー・ラヴォワール）と呼ばれたここは、フランス人版画家ベルナール・カトランがかつて作品制作のために過ごしたアトリエ兼住居でした。花を好み、独特の色彩で描くカトランのために、庭には桜、梅、紅葉、木蓮、金木犀、椿、藤といった四季折々に色付く木々が植えられていました。

その後カトランが亡くなり、暫く住人のいなかったこの建物を集合住宅へ改修することとなりました。ここで我々に求められたのは、６室設けること、豊かな庭に開くこと、そして猫と共に暮らす住まいを描くことでした。

猫は室内飼いが前提でした。そこで立体的に動く猫の習性に合せて各室を二層構成のＬ字型住戸とし、奥を感じながら動きたくなる空間を目指しました。また美しい庭木に面して窓を設えることで、窓辺から風に揺れる木々や花が眺められるようになり、やわらかな木漏れ日も室内へ流れ込み始めます。そして花に合せて壁や天井に色をのせ、季節や時間の移り変わりによって変化する表情をつくりました。

かつてカトランが自然の彩に囲まれながら豊かな時間を過ごしたように、ここでの暮らしがより美しいものとなることを期待しています。

A Three-Dimensional Residential Renovation That Encourages Active Engagement

After walking about ten minutes from the station and climbing a gentle slope, a small hill surrounded by lush greenery comes into view. Atop this hill stands a small white building. Once known as Bateau-Lavoir, it served as the studio and residence of the French printmaker Bernard Cathelin, who spent time here creating his works. For Cathelin, who loved flowers and painted with a distinctive sense of color, the garden was planted with trees and flowers that would bring color to every season—cherry blossoms, plum trees, Japanese maples, magnolias, fragrant olives, camellias, and wisteria.

Following Cathelin's passing, the building remained unoccupied for some time before a plan emerged to renovate it into a residential complex. Our task was to create six residential units, open them toward the lush garden, and design homes where people could live together with their cats.

As the cats were to live entirely indoors, we designed each unit as a two-level, L-shaped space, responding to their natural tendency to move vertically. We sought to create an environment that encourages movement and exploration, offering a sense of spatial depth and inviting residents to discover what lies beyond. Windows were carefully positioned to frame the beautiful garden trees, allowing residents to enjoy the sight of branches and flowers swaying in the breeze, while soft, dappled sunlight filters into the interiors. Inspired by the colors of the flowers, we introduced color to the walls and ceilings, creating spaces whose character shifts with the changing seasons and the passage of time.

Just as Cathelin once enjoyed a rich and fulfilling life surrounded by the colors of nature, we hope that life within this building will become all the more beautiful.