Inspiration for this home comes from the majestic landscape of the St. Lawrence River estuary, visible from the rocky headland on which it is located. Built on a steep slope and unobtrusive on the street side, the house is completely open to the river, unfolding toward the horizon.

Spatially, rooms are organized around an inverted plan that locates bedroom suites at the garden level. Set in concrete, they are anchored in the site’s topography. At ground level, living spaces panelled in light wood, each one leading into the next, are characterized by different heights that allow definition of different uses. The dining room, airy and full-windowed, pulls away from the main building as it soars toward the horizon. Massive, vertical concrete chimneys provide a striking contrast with transparent openings and the lightness of wooden volumes built on an overhang.

The long horizontals unfurl to accentuate the landscape.

Thellend Fortin Architectes
Photos: Charles Lanteigne

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