4d Architecture – The Beginning
Building Dreams in the French Alps: Our Journey to a Small Architecture Practice
The French Alps, with their awe-inspiring landscapes and rich architectural heritage, have long been a source of inspiration for us, and it was amidst this breathtaking backdrop that our small architecture practice came to life. In this blog post, we would like to share the story of our journey, from a shared passion for both architecture and the mountains to establishing our firm in the heart of the French Alps.
Twenty years ago, feeling the effects of life in the fast-lane in London, we decided to finally take a long-awaited six-month ski-battical in Courchevel, in the heart of the French Alps. We both fell in love with the mountains, the freedom of the ever-lasting skies and the beauty of the natural world around us. Neither of us was looking forward to returning to the city and the pressures of our architectural careers. It was towards the end of our time in the mountains that we saw an old barn for sale in the nearby picturesque mountain village of Feissons. The building, once a store for cattle & hay, was long abandoned and on the point of collapse. To us it was calling out for architectural recovery (!), we plucked up courage with our basic French and called the phone number on the ‘à vendre’ sign. A voice on the other end picked up….. and so our journey began.
Fast-forward a couple of years, a little packing, and much organisation(!), and we found ourselves with building tools in hand, leaving the rat-race of London behind us, with a dream in our hearts to find a new life within the mountains that we loved.
We started by renovating the barn into a home, quite a rude awakening, even to a couple of architects used to their own hands-on renovation projects, to life on the other side of the drawing board. However, we persevered, and whilst learning in detail about construction methods in the mountains and working within the constraints of a centuries old building, gradually home began to take shape.
Learning to speak French and building work kept us busy for the first couple of years, and it was only once we had become more settled and started to make contacts in the villages & ski resorts around, that we realised there was a real opportunity for us to contribute our skills to the local community and create an architectural practice of our own. What followed was an intense process of studying both architectural law & practice, a large amount of administrative paperwork, and registration with the French Ordre des Architectes, but finally 4d Architecture was born and we began work for our first clients.
We were determined to create a practice that celebrated the essence of the French Alps through our designs, whilst combining this with our own unique brand of contemporary architecture. Over twenty years we have worked with hundreds of clients in both the ski resorts and small villages in & around the mountains, creating both permanent & holiday homes of all sizes and building types.
We feel so lucky to live & work in this wonderful place, and to be in a position to help others create their dream homes!
Pete & Mel BATCHELOR
