Arba's Maison sur le Mur: Larch Louvers Turn Paris Suburb Façade Into Kinetic Event

In Fontenay-sous-Bois, architects Jean-Baptiste Barache and Sihem Lamine from studio Arba designed the Maison sur le Mur, a 132-square-meter home that integrates an existing street boundary wall as its masonry base. Constructed using larch, fir, wood-fiber insulation, pine resin, and featuring a wood-burning stove, the residence has received three prestigious awards: Prix Régional Île-de-France de la Construction Bois 2022, Prix Architectures à Vivre 2022, and Prix Architectures Habitées 2023. The street-facing side showcases vertical larch louvers arranged in a continuous gradient, creating what Arba terms "un événement cinétique," which addresses regulations against direct sightlines to neighboring properties while allowing natural light. The rear's black pine resin cladding employs an ancient preservation technique. The first-floor communal areas serve as an observatory, oriented northeast towards the Vergers de l'Îlot orchard. A combination of a wood-burning stove and underfloor heating powered by a heat pump completes the heating strategy, maintaining a closed material loop. The total cost of the project was €200,000 in Val-de-Marne.