Force Base 06, Nice, France, Adrien Cuny, France

Architects: COMBAS + ATELIER ACTM
Client: French Department Alpes Maritimes
Design team: AXYBAT – CET – CANOPEE – I84
Photographer: Javier CALLERAS

Force Base 06 is a place for unkind, yet essential work. The building is split in two parts: one part dedicated to vehicles, oriented towards the courtyard, and the part devoted to humans, looking towards the village Levens and the nice views it provides.

Living spaces are hosted in a congenial construction with thick walls. Vehicles are stationed within a volume with a metal framework, which leans against it like the barn of a farm.

A large roof covers the aggregate and provides unity, shade, and freshness. An outside bridge is suspended from the framework. It serves as an entrance and a terrace. The pathway from the village is flanked with farmers' shacks build in a mix of poor concrete and stones.

The team tried to recall this light-attracting material: they collected stones from the local environment and proceeded by trial and error until they found the right technique. Adding a poetic dimension to this technical place was at the core of the architects’ labor.