Hameau Du Latz Houses / MSR Architecture

Architects: MSR Architecture
Area: 335 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: François Dantart
Manufacturers: Duravit, Grohe, Cristina & Ondyna, HIDROBOX, Inbani, Maison Alfred & Louisa, Marius Aurenti, Modelec, Modular, Niko, Schuco, The Colour Republic Belgique
Lead Architects: Marie-Sophie Rollet
Interior Design: Atelier la Tricoterie
Landscape Architecture: Atelier Callarec
Country: France

Hameau du Latz Houses, a residential transformation by MSR Architecture in France, reimagines a former farmhouse estate into a unified and contemporary family retreat. The project connects existing neo-Breton dwellings and original stone structures through a design strategy that reinforces architectural cohesion while preserving site memory. Using reclaimed stone, corten steel, and Luserna slabs, the intervention maintains historical integrity and introduces modern comfort. A central gathering space with a pool serves as the focal point of family life. This sensitive redevelopment bridges heritage and present-day living through material continuity and spatial reinterpretation.

Hameau du latz houses / msr architecture

The Hameau du Latz Houses project by MSR Architecture began with the recognition of a rare site characterized by tall pine trees, dry stone walls, and proximity to a river. When the future owners first visited, they were drawn to the land’s visual and spatial qualities, its calm presence, and its historical significance. The site once formed part of the Château du Latz estate, comprising stone farm buildings, a chicken coop, an orchard, and walls integrated into the landscape. In contrast, two neo-Breton homes added during the 1970s and 1990s appeared disconnected from this context, interrupting the continuity of the estate’s identity.

The architectural intervention introduces a strategy of reconnection, aiming to integrate these disparate structures with one another and with the surrounding landscape. A large T-shaped house defines the central axis of the site, while a more modest and recent structure remains in the background. These are anchored within a terrain defined by pine vegetation and historic stone enclosures. MSR Architecture conceived the new layout as a hamlet—a collective family home structured around shared and private domains. The reorganization of the volumes was designed to establish cohesion among the buildings, harmonizing their relationship with the terrain and with each other.

Stone, already embedded in the identity of the site, was used as the guiding material. Reclaimed granite rubble from nearby sites forms the facades, linking the intervention to the regional architectural heritage. The use of Luserna stone slabs on the floors reinforces the continuity between interior and exterior spaces. Corten steel was introduced as a contemporary counterpoint to the stone, chosen for its texture and oxidized surface, suggesting the passage of time. This material frames the windows and highlights key visual connections to the landscape, emphasizing both openness and permanence.

The volumes were refined to reflect a restrained, contemporary character aligned with the residents’ expectations for comfort. Inside, warm wooden parquet flooring contrasts with in-situ concrete elements that serve as functional and spatial anchors, such as the staircase, kitchen island, and fixed bench seating. Custom metalwork, including rods, railings, and wardrobe doors, was developed in collaboration with local craftspeople. Traditional Breton slate roofs were preserved but updated through subtle detailing such as recessed gutters and precise geometries.

The reorganized site centers around a courtyard space animated by a swimming pool, which functions as the core of family life, reminiscent of a village square. This gathering space supports both collective and seasonal use while serving as the spatial heart of the compound. The surrounding landscape was completely redesigned to engage the architecture and amplify the site’s original qualities. Through a considered approach to material, form, and spatial rhythm, the project maintains the authenticity of the Château du Latz estate while reimagining its potential for contemporary and sustainable domestic life.