This little known and little documented project is a good example of the adaptability of the Oblique Function in the context of the single family home. Contrary to the Toueg and the Woog families, the client who commissioned this house does not appear to have contacted the architect initially. Claude Parent took over the project from André Svetchine (1908-1991) who had designed a rough project outline in 1971. Four months later, the advocate of the Oblique Function presented a project proposal directly linked to the shopping centers he was completing at the time. Taking advantage of the sloping terrain, he imagined a staircase structure that closely conforms to the contours of the site and fosters, according to him, the internal communication between the spaces. Just as for the André Bloc House (1959-1962, Cap d'Antibes) access to the panoramic view is essential. However, rather than relying on many glass surfaces, here he utilizes the rising slope of the living room, which, if it had been built, would have offered the occupants the possibility of projecting themselves into the landscape.
Audrey Jeanroy
