La Bergerie - Domaine de Gory | TAUTEM Architecture

Towards eco-responsible tourism

Construction of a holiday cottage & repurposing of a sheepfold

In Haute-Loire, at Chambon-sur-Lignon, the famous “Terre des Justes” (Righteous Among the Nations), TAUTEM is completing a frugal restructuring and construction project that promotes local know-how.  The firm is opening a subtle dialogue between landscape and architecture to provide the guests of this eco-responsible property the opportunity to fully reconnect with nature.

When a sheepfold becomes a holiday cottage…

To preserve the essence of this building dating from 1824 and to offer an authentic break to guests, TAUTEM has undertaken an intervention with a light touch, transforming the former sheepfold into a rural cottage for holidaymakers. The project includes a living room and an open kitchen in the first half of the generous volume of the existing nave. Sleeping area and bathroom are superimposed at the back of the building. The master bedroom, placed on the mezzanine, takes advantage of the favourable height of the steep sloping roof, made possible by the collar ties of the roof framework, a characteristic of traditional rural architecture in the Haute-Loire region.

Frugality and local know-how for eco-responsible tourism

When building economically for eco-responsible tourism, TAUTEM systematically privileges calling upon local know-how and use of bio-sourced materials. The heat insulation of the chalet and its underfloor heating, further enhanced by a woodburning stove in a closed circuit guarantee optimal year-long comfort. The sheepfold relies only on dephasing and inertia provided by its thick walls with the aim of an exclusively summertime tourist occupation. For water treatment, each of the holiday cottages possesses a phyto-purification installation to ensure preservation of the ecological balance of the prairies located downstream where the horses graze.