Architects: Pierre Marsan
Area: 530 m²
Year: 2020
Photographs: Franck Brouillet
Manufacturers: Chouard
Architect In Charge: Pierre Marsan
City: Billère
Country: France
The Billère Farmer Market project, designed by Pierre Marsan, aims to support the local timber industry by using Pyrenean silver fir for the framework and Douglas wood for the cladding. The construction system was optimized with solid wood, reducing the need for triangulated beams. A transparent wall forming a skylight enhances comfort, while the green roof consists of two sections covering the building diagonally. The building’s parallelepiped volume, with its north facade aligned to the road to Bayonne, creates an eastern gateway in conjunction with nearby buildings.
Why don’t seaside restaurants offer canned sardines on their menu when industrialization has enabled the qualitative optimization of food resources? Similarly, construction materials face qualitative constraints. The use of glued wood, in particular, allows for bio-based materials with optimized assembly qualities. Other construction options are also viable.
The project at Billère Farmer Market aims to support the timber industry by using local resources and optimizing construction materials. This involves a short-circuit construction process, leveraging the diversity of species available in the region. Pyrenean silver fir was chosen for the framework and Douglas wood for the cladding. To ensure material availability, stakeholders in the wood industry were consulted before construction began.
The construction system was optimized using solid wood pieces, reducing the need for triangulated beams by utilizing load-bearing points inside the building. A transparent wall extending from the framework to the cladding forms a skylight, protecting the public from environmental changes and enhancing comfort. The green roof consists of two sections, each covering one-half of the building diagonally.
The roof extends into a canopy to protect goods delivery areas. The building’s volume is parallelepiped with a north facade rotated to align with the road to Bayonne. Historical aerial photographs from 1935 show rural crossroads and two villas (one now the Town Hall and the other a municipal building) opposite a mall of plane trees. Buildings on the west side form a gate in line with the national road, and the market hall is positioned near this road to create an eastern gateway alongside an apartment building.
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Project Location
Address: Billère, France
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
