Builders
of the Hameau Albert 1er
"With Bernard," emphasizes Pierre Carrier, "we are dreamers; we like the story to be complete!" Pierre and Bernard are the architects of this exemplary success born from a truly audacious construction project that was completed in December 1997. Three beautiful Savoyard farms, the foundation of Hameau Albert 1er, rise from the ground. One houses the country restaurant - Maison Carrier and a suite. Another holds the Spa - Le Bachal (a local dialect term for basin) and the swimming pool. The largest one contains twelve rooms and suites. Pierre Carrier, who nurtured this somewhat crazy project down to the smallest details, had been scavenging for years, cleaning, and storing old wood from abandoned mountain farms and chalets. If "The quality of a new project, according to Bernard Ferrari, is to feed a nostalgia," then Maison Carrier is the perfect illustration of it."
Admiring in advance the peasant wisdom, whose intelligence and resources are now fully recognized, the two men, passionate about this type of habitat that they visit and photograph extensively, are also fascinated by the entire way of life of its inhabitants. It is thanks to their culture and perfectionism that we have an exceptional setting, refined in the smallest details, similar to a true alpine museum, vibrant and joyful, in which we have the privilege of experiencing a delightful journey back in time.
Architect Bernard Ferrari, a guiding figure in these multiple projects at Albert 1er, highlights the unique nature of these experiences and collaborations - both in terms of longevity, the diversity of projects, and the quality of exchanges: "From my initial mission of simply renovating the facades at Albert 1er, I ended up revising the entire interior architecture of the hotel year after year, then the creation of Les Fermes, Chalet Grépon, etc. On the Les Fermes construction site, we had up to fifteen companies working with wood simultaneously. Unprecedented! Typically, you might have one carpenter, one cabinetmaker, and one joiner. But here... since we completed the construction in 15 months, due to the urgency, we had to involve multiple contractors. We assigned one a room, another the bar... according to their expertise. I would stay up until midnight sending faxes to the companies for the next day. I had a small team, a draftsman, and a secretary. I was there from morning till night practically... and I had other projects. When you're young, you have the energy! What was fantastic with Pierre Carrier is that I would come up with some whimsical ideas, and he would say yes! We formed an incredible team. We never clashed. There was always great understanding and intelligence on his part."
