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Origin and history

Binotto House, locally known as "Round House" or "Fiore", is a private architectural project located in Mirepoix, Ariège. Designed in the third quarter of the 20th century by Serge Binotto – assistant and collaborator of Jean Prouvé – it embodies the application of the latter's constructive principles, particularly those developed for industrial projects such as Total service stations. Binotto, who worked with Prouvé on major construction projects (including Alpexpo in Grenoble), set up this house for his parents. Its prefabricated elements are assembled in one month on site, combining technical innovation and functional aesthetics.

The structure, inscribed in a perfect circle of 14 meters in diameter, is distinguished by a south-east facing glass façade and enamelled metal panels. The concrete core, inspired by Prouvé's "monoblocks", supports a liquid rubber roof terrace, while chimneys evoking the mobiles of Alexander Calder animate the whole. Binotto sees a domestic declination of Prouvé's reflections on the "house of better days" and circular projects such as the Hotel des Arcs. The interior, today without its original furniture, played on modular partitions and primary colors to structure the space.

Sold in 2010 to an artist, then in 2017 to an antique shop in Paris, the house barely escapes a dismantling after the intervention of the Architects of the Buildings of France. Threatened by its deterioration, it is saved by a local mobilization: the Maison Ronde association is created, and the Regional Heritage Commission proposes its inscription to historical monuments in April 2018. Ranked on 7 August 2018, it has since been the subject of a restoration project estimated at 500,000 euros, led by a partnership with the Fondation du Patrimoine and the Toulouse School of Architecture. A day of tribute to Serge Binotto, who died, was organized there in November 2022.

The building bears witness to a rare hybridization between industrial and residential typologies, deviating the principles of Total stations for an individual dwelling. Its protection highlights a modern heritage that is often unknown, while highlighting the challenges of preserving 20th century architectural works. The "at la Calder" fireplaces, the doors inspired by the boat cabins, and the games of full/empty illustrate a filiation assumed with the Prouvé workshop, while affirming Binotto's originality.

The house is also part of a local history: located at the western entrance to Mirepoix, it dialogues with the medieval heritage of the bastide, while embodying radical modernity. Its rescue reflects an increasing awareness of the value of experimental architectures, often weakened by their status as "movable" objects or their ephemeral initial vocation. Today, its future depends on the implementation of educational and mecenal projects launched for its rehabilitation.

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