The Raven Baker house in the South of France embodies Predock Studio’s ongoing commitment to embracing site and locally available natural materials, while fusing the ancient resonance of place with modern design.
The result of this masterful approach to architecture is a timeless residence that has become one with its site. Vaison-la-Romaine, Provence has been shaped by time from Roman occupation through every decade of French history. This house looks out onto Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Nazareth constructed over several centuries with an exposed rubble foundation including repurposed roman columns reflecting Merovingian, Romanesque and Gothic styles. Perched on a steeply graded site, backed up onto a Northern peak, it slopes southwards, revealing both the geological and the timeless beauty of Provence.
Predock Studio honored this heritage by integrating the existing ancient wall that encircling the site and buffering the residence with repurposed by 300-year-old olive trees. A new conical wall creates a deck for the South facing pool – both a recreational and entertaining area for the owners – Referencing Saarinen’s iconic elliptical tulip table.
In a Provençal twist on Louis Kahn’s “servant space”, an underground garage, mechanical spaces and storage area lift the main floor and pool deck up into the view of the ancient village and landscape beyond. A curved wooden ceiling sloping toward the terrace and polished concrete floors augment a single level space including bedrooms and a great kitchen/ dining/ living room separated from an office by a two-way fireplace.
This small footprint of the villa appears to be carved out of massive load bearing blocks of local limestone, stripped down to its essence, like a sculptural ode to its storied site. With great sensitivity and exquisitely executed detail, Predock Studio has transformed the weight of history into a fluid and contemporary residence.
