Description
A family home with two courtyard gardens.
This remarkable modern house was designed by architect Roland Bechmann in 1953.
Set in 234 m² of land, this large family home offers around 131 m² of living space over two levels. It has a tiered garden to the front and a courtyard to the rear.
The house is now divided into three independent flats.
The 55 m² ground floor comprises two studio flats. The first comprises a bedroom, living room, kitchen and shower room. The second has a bedroom, a small lounge with kitchenette and shower area, and storage space. Both have large picture windows overlooking the 100 m² front garden.
The 1er étage is home to the third 76 m² flat, which boasts a spacious living-dining room with a fireplace opening onto a terrace, a kitchen with double access, a master bedroom with plenty of storage space, two other bedrooms and a bathroom.
A garage, a bicycle shed and a large cellar covering the entire surface area complete the property. Major renovation work is planned.
In Boulogne-Billancourt, very close to the Albert Kahn museum-garden, it is located at the end of a cul-de-sac. It benefits from a quiet residential environment and a wealth of local shops, as well as the metro (line 10).
Architecture fifties
The red ceramic cladding on the main façade complements the sober concrete lines. The house benefits from a generous amount of natural light thanks to the large glazed areas on the south-facing main façade and the skylights in the attic. The volumes are beautifully crafted, with subtle interplay of ceiling heights depending on the space. The interior features remarkable period architectural details, such as wood panelling and elaborate openings, as well as a wealth of storage units custom-made by the architect.
Roland Bechmann
Son of architect Lucien Bechmann (1880-1968), Roland Bechmann (1919- ) graduated in history and geography from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Paris in 1939. There he studied under the renowned medievalist Marc Bloch (1886-1944).
He also graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1944, and trained at the Bigot, Beaudouin and Benoît studios, with urban planner Georges Meyer-Heine and at his father’s firm until 1950.
He set up his own planning and architectural practice in 1950, and, like many architects of his generation, took part in numerous projects in France and West Africa. He designed a number of public buildings and facilities, including the François Pétrarque agricultural college in Avignon in 1969, which was listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments in 1989. He also designed apartment blocks, social housing and detached houses.
Concerned about environmental issues, particularly the impact of human activity on nature, he founded and directed the Aménagement et Nature association and its namesake magazine from 1964 to 1999. He organises interdisciplinary research, surveys and conferences on a variety of topics.
A specialist in the Middle Ages, he has published numerous books and articles on the subject, including studies on the technical and esoteric drawings of Villard de Honnecourt. His first book, Les Racines des cathédrales (1981), deals with the influence of environmental factors in the emergence and formation of Gothic architecture.
