Panoramic contemporary house

Set in the heart of a 4,500 sqm landscaped garden, this 200 sqm villa is arranged around a central patio. It features a superb reception room with reading room and fireplace, a study, a dining room, a fitted kitchen and utility room, a master suite, a mezzanine, a study and a bathroom. A workshop, a small cottage and a car port complete the property. The outbuilding can accommodate a further 2 bedrooms and a bathroom.

Possibility of building a swimming pool.

In a dominant position, the villa’s large picture windows provide a permanent link with the outside world and an uninterrupted view of the Lac du Salagou.

Situated in the heights of Lodève, between hills and valleys, it enjoys an idyllic, privileged setting. It is 45 km from the city of Montpellier and around 80 km from the Mediterranean Sea.

Maurice Sauzet’s architecture, inspired by Japanese philosophy, is characterised by a strong link between interior and exterior. Using a range of high-quality materials, the house combines wood for the framework, bamboo as a natural screen between the rooms, and exposed stone for some of the architectural details.

After training at the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris, from which he graduated in 1957, Maurice Sauzet discovered Buddhist Zen architecture in Japan with Junzo Sakakura Nishisawa, a disciple of Le Corbusier. On his return to France in the early 1970s, the architect built his own house near Toulon, drawing inspiration from both Western modernism and Japanese tradition. It was a new type of architecture that set the tone for all his work, with almost 150 homes.With the help of geographer Augustin Berque, author of “Vivre l’espace au Japon”, Maurice Sauzet developed the concept of “counter-architecture” or “natural architecture”. Putting façade and proportions in the background, this principle gives pride of place to the relationship between man and space. Maurice Sauzet’s homes are a series of paths leading from the outside in. As soon as they step out of the car, residents are ‘taken in’ and invited to wander around. The route begins in the shelter that serves as a garage and continues through the various rooms and along the patios. All these paths culminate in the discovery of the central garden.

Maurice Sauzet’s adage is to consider the home in its relationship with nature. According to the architect, the essential thing is not the proportions or the quest for the perfect object, but rather the relationship created with the object and the way it feels.