“Maisons Rêvées” by Delphine Aboulker

Editions Alternatives (Gallimard)

Maisons Rêvées – the first book by Delphine Aboulker, co-founder of Architecture de Collection – presents some answers, in the form of 40 houses built in France by architects over the past 20 years. Classified by theme (ecological homes, town houses, the quest for aesthetics, reinventing tradition and industrial inspiration), they are representative of the solutions developed by this largely under-represented profession in the construction market. Today, less than 5% of single-family homes are built by architects. The remaining 95% are mass-produced by housing developers, who sell interchangeable buildings from catalogs, with designs that take no account of local issues or environmental impact.

The book details the major trends in contemporary home architecture, as well as the creativity of the French scene. At a time when the health situation highlights the importance of quality living space, Maisons Rêvées shows the ingenuity and ability of architects to innovate and adapt to the needs and means of their clients, deconstructing the ” myth ” of the extravagant, expensive architect-designed house that is inaccessible to the greatest number.

Richly illustrated, this book combines aesthetic appeal with historical and sociological precision, covering the history of the single-family home from Antiquity to the present day, including the great social transformations of the 19th and 20th centuries.