A renowned Lebanese ski resort – the first slopes were opened here in the early sixties – Faraya is a high-mountain village, just 20 miles away from the Mediterranean sea. Mild summers and freezing, snowy winters make it a beloved destination for the inhabitants of the coastal region, as well as the not too distant capital Beirut.
In spite of its name, Y Chalet designed by Paralx is a holiday home which rejects the picturesque aesthetics of the alpine cabin and rather takes inspiration from the geometries and the “camouflaged” colours of the arid, barren mountains.
The building is a compact polyhedron, entirely clad in light agglomerate tiles that are locally produced. The rotation of the volume’s surfaces combines with the rough texture of these modular elements and the reliefs crossing them, to enrich the monochrome walls with an uneven and ever-changing chiaroscuro. The architecture resonates with the shades found in the surrounding landscape.
Openings are laid out irregularly in order to frame privileged viewpoints, and most of all to address specific climatic issues. Two sliding glass partitions provide the living room with a double orientation, towards the north and the south, allowing the fresh summer breeze to naturally channel through it; on the other hand, during the winter, the large south-facing skylight maximizes the warming potential of sunlight.
