Wow Factor: Mountain slope inspires home’s design in Quebec’s Laurentians

A steep parcel of land that tilts down to a lake impressed the pier-like esthetic of a home in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains.

“We desired to build the experience of a dock,” architect Pierre Thibault suggests about La Résidence du Lac Masson.

Thibault was also eager on a straightforward constructing that would just take edge of equally the remarkable topography of the site and the magnificence of the encompassing deciduous forest.

The property, about 1-1/2 hours north of Montreal, totals 2,700 square toes and is actually two sq. constructions linked, but divided, by a courtyard. Thibault likens it to an oyster shell.

The initial section, closest Lac Masson, has a rooftop deck that makes the feeling of staying on a dock given that the angle of the home makes the drinking water would seem really shut. Inside of, floor-to-ceiling home windows surround a guest space with bunkbeds created in the middle of the place to lend the sensation of being in a boat’s cabin.

The 2nd, larger section of the property capabilities a double-top residing home with a walkway out to the deck. It connects to key-level kitchen and eating spot. On the 2nd ground is the learn bed room.

A variety of woods had been utilised which include cedar for the exterior siding, American walnut for the integrated home furnishings and oak on the floors.

Concluded in 2013, La Résidence du Lac Masson took 20 months to structure and develop.

Pierre Thibault, of Atelier Pierre Thibault in Quebec City, responses a handful of queries about the La Résidence du Lac Masson.

What influenced your structure?

We required to generate a really easy quantity that reveals the topography of the web site and the attractiveness of the trees. We desired to generate the sensation of a dock.

The house is made up of two volumes linked by a footbridge — 1 will become a habitable place with areas for right away stays, and the other consolidates the essence of the house.

How did you do the job the design into the steep web page?

The site of the home is a reasonably narrow, wooded strip that goes from the street to the lake, and will allow the southern-going through facade of the dwelling to forget the lake.

The website is on a steep slope from the highway and we experienced to decide whether to identify the home closer to the lake or on the higher land. We opted to spot it about 20 metres from the lake, preserving the trees so we could protect privateness from the lake.

With the incline and the surrounding trees, how did you bring in pure light?

We oriented the façade to the south to favour passive solar as a great deal as attainable to warmth the home in winter season. We stuffed the walls with a bigger degree of insulation with only a small opening to the north. Deciduous trees provide as a display screen throughout the summer’s warmth.

What had been your problems?

The initial obstacle was to make the web page buildable, make the route for the construction web-site and generate two smaller stages, one in the vicinity of the lake and the other close to the road for the garage, all while chopping as handful of trees as doable. The other challenge was to brace the household, as the south façade is absolutely fenestrated — has a lot of windows. We experienced to set up some steel aspects.

The bunkbeds have a unique situation. Why in the middle of the home? We preferred to build a modest, extra unique all-wooden room for company — earning it feel like you are in a boat’s cabin.