Month: January 2021

The Barn is a rural house project that turned a disused farm building into a warm, versatile family space. The project saved a 100-year-old building from loss while preserving its authentic architectural vernacular. The homeowners wanted to turn the old barn on the property of their chalet into a secondary country residence. Additionally, being busy people, they wanted an island of peace far from the hubbub, a self-contained retreat.

The goal was to preserve the building’s historical vernacular without compromising modern comfort. The redesigned space separations followed the existing wooden structure. We avoided vertical elements in order to preserve the view. Because the foundations had to be reworked, every salvageable piece of the original hemlock construction was numbered and carefully stored. The authentic architectural language and shape of the exterior was painstakingly preserved.

Thanks to its various open, semi-open and closed areas, the space provides different degrees of privacy. Its 30-foot ceiling lets the space breathe and invites the natural surroundings inside. The large windows give onto a spectacular view of the Sutton Mountains and a pristine agricultural landscape.

Our approach balanced utility, the client’s needs and desires, and uncompromising aesthetic standards. From the perspective of a rural house project, one of our concerns was achieving a harmonious balance with natural surroundings.  Natural materials and textures make for an organic feel that helps integrate the building into the surrounding environment, even from the interior. From the outside, the original shape of the building fits into the landscape as it did 100 years ago. 

Architecture: La Firme – Photo: Ulysse Lemerise

Located on the shore of the Gate Lake, on a slightly sloping land of almost 80 000 pi2, the chalet takes place on the edge of a cedar wood with majestic mature incline trunk trees. Although the footprint of this two-storey building is substantial, because the roof slope follows the landscape the impact of it site integration is minimal.

The entrance to the chalet is located on the superior level where you access by a big outdoor porch to the doorway. The inferior level, where the living spaces are located (living room, kitchen, dining room) is at the same plane of the ground nearby; allowing easy access to the land by many doors on the tree facades on the side of the lake.

A large terrace next to the master bedroom offers the most cleared and marvellous view of the lake and a generous sunlit space for the occupants. The extremities of the two circulation axes that serve the interior spaces are wide open glazed, offering a unique picture of the landscape. The exterior finishes of the building are made from dressed stones and cedar cladding, natural materials and site specific. The sloped roof is covered with zinc finish steel that partially turn toward the ground to in a manner of a protective case, but still letting go through the beauty of the landscape at the heart of the project.

Architecture: Eric Joseph TREMBLAY, architecte (BOOM TOWN)
Interior design: BOOM TOWN et Mario Januario (MJ Design)
Photographer: Angus McRitchie

The chalet du Bois Flotté (the Driftwood Chalet) is located on the gently sloping terraces overlooking Cap-à-l’Aigle and the river. In the distance, one can see the Malbaie River and the slow movement of its tides. The chalet is reminiscent of the first homes built along the St Lawrence Valley, with their gabled roofs on rectangular massings.

Two buildings join at right angles to create a design as rustic as it is refined. The steel of the roof (which extends in places to cover the walls) together with the cedar cladding of the gables (also used in parts of the side walls) create a striking combination. The oxidation from contact with sea air will gradually give the cedar the silvery hue characteristic of seaside dwellings. The chalet’s uniform shapes best frame the landscape, allowing access to the grounds via a terrace where the two buildings meet. Large windows give occupants a view of the region. Between sky and river, this small structure stands in an impressive landscape. The development takes shape here, like a piece of driftwood, carried by time and currents, offering a haven of relaxation, humble and discreet, set against the opulent beauty of the landscape. Cost-effective, with simple lines which do not compromise comfortable contemplation and enhancement of the view. Coveted understatement and privacy under the flaming skies of Charlevoix.

The interior layout consists of two access areas. Each space is designed to meet the needs of occupants, consistent with a minimalist Scandinavian approach. Polished concrete slabs along the ground form two split levels to increase the living space, which in turn opens to the landscape by means of an immense glass wall covering the chalet’s entire western face. A moveable ladder provides access to a small mezzanine, a veritable extension of the children’s rooms below. This offers a space for play and relaxation away from the world of adults.

The story of the chalet du Bois Flotté (the Driftwood Chalet) is also one of the gatherings, a story in which clients play the central role. This is how guests describe the chalet: “Above all, one falls in love with the magnificent location of the ‘Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle’, which is at the heart of the development. During our family holidays in the summer of 2016, we were captivated by the unobstructed view of the St. Lawrence River, the changing skies and the breathtaking sunsets, the landscapes changing with the day and season. We wanted a new family space away from the routine and the big city where we could relax among friends and family. Each member of the family conceived a part of the project. It was our way of rooting ourselves more in the province of Quebec and designing a home that reflected our family. Imagining spaces that showcase such a stunning landscape was our way of paying homage to this welcoming land. The space is designed to offer each person their private corner while also fostering family time together. Finally, it was about having a certain chemistry with our architect, who understood the difference between a holiday home and a weekend cottage and let himself be both seduced by the location and inspired by our project.

Such are the circumstances that gave birth to the chalet du Bois Flotté (the Driftwood Chalet). Its colours are reminiscent of a piece of driftwood driven onto the coast by wind, currents and tides. The construction resembles driftwood floating for a long time in salt water, becoming part of the environment, providing food and shelter for small sea creatures, fish and other aquatic species, and, now that on dry land, sheltering birds and other animal species or nurturing the growth of certain plants.

The backdrop for the project’s design is a desire for harmony with nature. Building within limited means forces one to limit surface area, which reduces one’s ecological as well as physical footprint. It’s an opportunity to build ecologically, to question how to occupy space without taking up space. The compact layout of the construction keeps intact the natural look of the site. What would have been considered a de-motivating constraint was addressed instead as a stimulating creative challenge to find simple answers to complex problems. While household size has been declining steadily over the past 50 years, the size of dwellings has regularly increased.* This increase in area cannot be offset by technological advances that require production equipment and electronic components needed for ‘high-performance’ homes.

To ensure the construction was in harmony with its location, physical and virtual models of the terrain were created to design a project grounded on land while offering views of the river. Aligning certain areas of the chalet with the mountainous coastline of Pointe-au-Pic and La Malbaie. To this end, in the corridor leading to the rooms, a reading nook was custom-built to face a glass wall through which the outdoor terrace and grounds can also be reached, creating a true connection with the surrounding nature.

* Barkenbus, Jack. 2008. ‘Supersizing the American Dream in an Era of Climate Change.’ Environmental Law Institute 38 (12).

Architecture & Interior Design: atelier BOOM-TOWN
Photo: MAXIME BROUILLET

The recently completed 3 level, 4 bedroom house for a young family sits atop a mountainside on 120 acres, near the quaint village of Rhinebeck in upstate New York, and is designed to adapt over time from a weekender to a full-time residence.

Inspired by the rural setting, a long linear barn-like main house and a secondary carriage-house, were placed around an open field and swimming pool, reminiscent of traditional farmstead arrangements.

Encompassing over 5,000 square feet (465 sq m), the main residence features airy rooms, ceilings with exposed timber beams, natural light throughout, and carefully defined views that help celebrate the ever-changing seasonal landscape.

The main residence is visually and functionally divided into public living and private bedroom areas by a central feature staircase of floating treads and full-length skylights overhead.

On the ground level, one side of the house contains two children’s bedrooms and a master suite.

The other half encompasses a den, living room, dining area and kitchen.

The living areas utilize 8ft by 8ft sliding glass doors leading directly onto decks for outdoor entertaining.

Downstairs is a full basement containing media room, games room, wine cellar, study and guest suite.

Upstairs is a bright, white, minimal multi-functional loft space lit by several skylights.

The nearby, detached Carriage House comprises a 3-car garage, storage and workshop on the ground level, with an adaptable music room and studio space upstairs.

From the very beginning of the design process (see concept sketch), a central fireplace hearth was an essential element as requested by the client. It was designed to be a physical and visual focal point and feature of the main house, with the ability to have an open fire an important factor for the client, especially during the colder months in New England.

Utilizing a double see-through wood-burning built-in fireplace from Stûv, with a 16ft long solid walnut mantlepiece floating over, and beautiful hand-cut local stone veneer, a one-off custom double-height stone chimney hearth grounded the tall Great Room space and helped create a visually striking modern rustic aesthetic.

Additionally, behind the hearth is an unexpected, hidden space with a cathedral ceiling and custom designed lighting pendant feature, deliberately created as a more intimate, more adult space. The Great Room side of the fireplace was more open, public and suitable for daytime family use. The hidden den behind was for those precious after-hour unwinds with a bottle of red from the passively cooled cellar in the basement: a quieter, calming, low-light space lit just by the fire and overhead warm-colored pendants.

Stand-alone Stûv wood-burning stoves were also utilized in the study/office/library space, and the upper loft area of the carriagehouse as a multi-purpose music room/reading room/yoga studio. This particular loft space feels attic-like with exposed timber beams and direct views out to the nearby oak trees. A soft glow from the fire, helps transform the space into a warm, comfortable, cosy, contemplative, even meditative getaway space: an elevated modern tree-house for a jazz-loving guitar player with an appreciation for Japanese Ukiyo-e prints.

The geomorphology of the site consists of granite bedrock and boulder till, creating pristine white sand beaches, and turquoise waters. The two pavilions float above the shoreline like two ship’s hulls up on cradles for the winter, forming protected outdoor places both between and under them.

This is a landscape-viewing instrument; like a pair of binoculars, first looking out to sea. A third transverse ‘eye’ looks down the coastline, and forms a linking entry piece.

A concrete seawall on the foreshore protects the house from rogue waves. This is a full-time home for a family of four; consisting of a ‘day pavilion’ and a ‘night pavilion’. One approaches from the understated land side between the abstract, library ends of the two pavilions; then either passes through toward the sea, or left into the living pavilion, or right into the sleeping pavilion. One structure contains a central core, while the other contains a side core. The seaward ends of the two main forms (living and master bedroom) delaminate, creating protected outdoor porches, or night time ‘lanterns’ over the water. The third linking form contains the generous entry foyer, core, and the kitchen. The great room contains a floating 24′ totemic hearth.

The house remains a fertile research vehicle in the education of an architect. This is a steel frame house, with a wood skin. Its white, steel endoskeleton resists both gravity loads and wind uplift. The 32′ cantilevers and concrete fin foundations invite the sea to pass under without damage. The wooden rain screen consists of 8″ vertical, board-on-batten on the two ‘hulls’, while the linking piece is a monolithic block of weathered wood inside and out, clad in 4″ horizontal shiplap. The lantern ends dematerialise by eliminating the 1″ channel joints. The fenestration of the ‘binocular’ ends is minimalist curtain wall with structural silicone. The side elevations contain storefront glazing. The concrete floors contain a geothermally heated hydronic system. This sculptural, yet calm and mature project contains generous white volumes on the interior, and exhibits the ironic monumentality of boats on the exterior.

Greg Richardson Photography
MacKay-Lyon Sweetapple Architects

This home sits in a meadow on a 70 acre farm on one of the gulf islands. The peaked roof in the great room echoes a nearby mountain peak. Roofs undulate according to a hierarchy of spaces. An outdoor room divides private spaces from social spaces. A curving glulam winds through the house and is balanced on a single post. The fireplace is clad in local white marble and is the central focus of the great room.

Photo: Gillean Proctor
Architecture: Blue Sky Architecture