Surrounded by hedgerows and overlooking Bellême Forest, in the cultivated countryside of Normandy’s Perche region, this cube-like house is set on one-third of a 492-foot-long plot of land—standing in an isolated residential area.

Design concept and solution: A minimalist cube of 861 square feet, the house is clad in black tinted wooden panels that respond to the woodland environment. There is just one opening on each side judiciously oriented for views and light, and highlighted in white. Framed in wood, the walls of the house are lined with high performance thermal insulation.