French planning legislation that requires new houses in France to confirm to traditional styles has ensured not just a unity of style but a repetition in design, reminiscent of the monotonous developments in middle America once so wickedly satirized by Peter Seeger’s song, “Little Boxes”.

However Seeger would be hard put to use his “ticky-tacky” epithet on the imaginative creations of architect-builder Thomas Loussier, based in the Var at La Farlède, Le Muy, Lorgues and Six-Fours. Loussier has shown with his “Lumière” model, a rapid assembly dwelling, how it is possible to combine innovation with economy. This single-storey house has three living rooms, each opening directly into the garden, maximizing light, and provides superb sound and heat insulation using the latest technology. Loussier’s creation won the Trophée maison d’or in a new competition sponsored by the union of builders of standalone houses.