Perched on a mountain in the Eastern Townships, the Crowhill cabin is based on its timelessness and minimalism concept. By its angular shape, the project aims to underline the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

The project takes advantage of the rocky cape to anchor its raw concrete foundations, on which rest two volumes advancing towards the treetops.

The first module contains the living areas while the second has two bedrooms. By accompanying the natural slope of the ground, their sloping roofs reinforce the sensation of sliding over the cliff. The entrance forms an in-between space between the modules that are oriented differently from each other’s.

The overhanging roofs on the south facade emphasize the view while limiting solar gain during the hot season. On the side, a wooden platform located in continuation of the kitchen is oriented west towards the sunset. The burnt wood use on the facades and the pre-woven hemlock planks result in a natural palette for the exterior envelope.

Inside, the panoramic view becomes the focal point of the living spaces and of the master bedroom. On the floor, the ceramic with a concrete finish unites all the spaces and reminds the natural finish of the foundations.

While enhancing the landscape, the project above all considers the cabin as a minimal and contemplative space, inviting tranquility.

The project consists in a complete transformation and extension of a commercial building on Beaubien Street. Its composition transcribes both the superposition of the commercial uses, while reinterpreting the original two-storey base from which a new floor emerges. This one is characterized by a monolithic steel roof sitting on a longitudinal band of black windows.

The conceptual idea of the project is to offer a panoramic framing of the view towards Molson park’s trees. The terrace on the roof express this concept by a series of sunbreakers inspired by the old folding cameras – in french « appareil photo à soufflet ». This black structure allows the scale of the project to be aligned in continuity with its neighbours from the street, while reinterpreting the architecture of the pergolas in a contemporary way. A perception of depth generated by the side alley is accentuated by a series of regular windows and by the insertion of a succession of vertical brick details.

The third floor office is organized into a succession of plans ; the conference room in front benefits from a visual continuity with the terrace, while the lobby and circulation areas are naturally lit through skylights. As a hint of the old building, several original lamps are reintroduced in the layout, contrasting with the new minimalist suspensions. The white oak storage units come through the glass partitions, revealing the perception of a regular space organisation from the corridor.

Finally, the monochrome tones of the overall project are enhanced with bright colours; the blue block contains the services, while the bright red radiates from the exit staircase.

The Bessborough residence is located in the district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal. The project consists of the complete renovation of the ground floor of a duplex dating back from the 1950s.

The challenge was to open this 900-ft2 space by maximizing living spaces while keeping a certain sense of spatial division. The architectural concept is build around three “blocks”. These volumes articulate the space while playing on the notion of wall.

In the center, the black volume defines the circulation and acts as a filter between the various functions.

This volume, introducing a new staircase, play on its transparency by using a rhythm between full and empty using variations of glass, steel rods and mdf panels. The wooden volume brings a warm aspect in the whole space. It contains on one hand, a library and of the other one, a walk-in adjacent to the master bedroom. The grey volume, simple and sleek, allows hiding diverse functions of service as well as the bathroom.

Reinforcing the degree of abstraction of the project, the choice of minimalist furniture and lamps echoes the palette of textures composed of concrete, wood and steel.

• Grands Prix du Design 12e edition  – Residential space of 1,600 ft² or less

The design concept of the Aesop boutique is inspired by the geography and particular topography of Vancouver Bay and takes up the theme of contrast to propose an interior design where borders are opposed and materials respond by symmetry.

Taking its name from its Amerindian origins, Kitsilano really took off in the 50s and 60s with the hippie movement and the cultural mixes that enrich the neighborhood. Mostly residential, one finds large coloured residences, covered with light wood cladding or plaster in pastel tones, element taken up in the choice of pastel pink for the Aesop store façade.

Surrounded by powerful nature, Vancouver was built on the water’s edge, on a plateau overlooking the surrounding mountains. The development of port activity reached its peak in the 1930s thanks to the timber trade. The concept of the shop transcribes this meeting of strong geological elements in the palette of materials used as well as in the notion of clear boundary, where the raw minerality of mountains and water meet.

Building on the symmetry of the existing façade, the concept expresses the duality between the mountains and their mirror reflection in the Vancouver Bay water. The store is thus divided into two parts. From the floor to the ceiling, the first is covered with a matt mineral surface while its opposite, darker and brighter, seeks to express the shiny surface of the reflection. On both sides, the demonstration sink and the point of sale of the same volume are distinguished by the texture of the counters, a pink marble evoking the pastel tones of the façade and a green marble evoking an abundant plant cartography.

On the walls, a vertical grid of walnut wood uprights contains amber bottles placed on shelves, thus referring to the former timber trade.

The first step for this detached house from the late 1940s was to open the rear facade onto the garden with a 24-foot (7.4 m) sliding bay window. By taking away the intermediary support element, this intervention removes the barriers to the outdoor terrace.

A metal trellis awning framing the wide opening filters heat from the sun into the kitchen and dining room, which are brought together in one space and open onto the garden.

The transformation of this house opens it up, revitalizes the relationship between the spaces and creates a visual link between each one. A perforated mobile steel wall modulates the level of privacy between the living room and the two-storey-tall family room. By playing with the existing floors and creating new spaces, the concept transforms the perception of the dimensions of the house.

A 2.8 m by 5 m living wall suspended above the family room is the key feature of the indoor environment. Upstairs, this green presence can be enjoyed from the open-plan office. Every element of this project underlying the owners’ passion for detail.

A couple with two young children wish to transform a duplex located in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie into their principal family residence. The project consists in reorganizing the original portion of the house and enlarging it with an extension in the yard while preserving the façade on the street as required by the city bylaws.

Suspended above the dining room, a grey angular volume sheltering the master bedroom cantilevers out over the garden terrace. For more intimacy, a pair of steel blades unfolds in front of two large panes of glass over the garden façade filtering the views from the neighbours and modulating the natural light coming into the living spaces.

Wishing to create an effect of depth on the garden façade, two tones of colours are used; one gray tone for the suspended volume covered in fibrocement boards and an other in copper for the windows, steel blades and the patio door in the recessed portion of the back wall. An angular frame like structure connects both immediate neighbours as a result of their differences in the protrusions of their constructions.

Within the house, a staircase positioned directly under a generous skylight becomes the focal element of the house. Three entities compose this staircase; the first steps cladded in white marble, a wooden landing cladded in Russian plywood that continues through the family room to become a working surface and finally the circular stair painted white with perforated steel guards and steps in white birch.

Integrated elements such as concealed doors and furniture combine to tones of whites; greys and blacks contribute in creating a warm and minimalist atmosphere throughout every room in the house.

Finalist project for the 2018 Domus Construction Awards

A couple with two young children wishes to renovate a row house dating back to the 1970s. Being part of a set of rowhouses designed uniformly, no changes were brought to the exterior appearance of the house. Contained within a space of 16′-0 ” wide by 47′-0 ” in length, the residence is organized on 4 levels including the basement. The entire layout of the rooms has been completely reconfigured according to the new needs of the clients. An existing triple-height void topped by a skylight illuminates the heart of the house.

A new staircase with a guard composed of black painted steel tubular sections emphasises the verticality of triple height space. A white wall cladded with painted wooden panels installed in a random arrangement adds a dramatic effect to the entire project. Two translucent glass plates provide luminosity to the bathrooms and punctuate the wooden wall on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The original stainless steel suspended light fixtures were painted black and their supports reconfigured more dynamically. The use of pale maple wood for the floors, concrete for the kitchen island and velvety white laminate for the cabinets, contributes to the minimalist spirit of the residence where a specific attention to detail is omnipresent.

Carried out in a residential area of the Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie borough, the project consisted in renovating and expanding a duplex built in the 1920s that housed three dwelling units. The added storey harmonized the building with the size of the surrounding constructions.

The intervention was minimal on Dandurand Street, rather extending along the perpendicular street. In the existing section, the brick was replaced, but the original openings were mostly retained, while large angled windows were built on the addition, multiplying the views on the urban landscape. The glass and white steel volume that was added on top of the first two levels stands out through both its angular shape and its materials. On each level, spacious decks equipped with glass railings lighten volume perception. A shared deck was inserted into a breach made in the volume, which also captures light.

An athletic young couple wants to transform a fourplex to create their primary residence, while maintaining a rental unit on the first floor. The existing part of the house, dating from the 1930s, is restored on the street side, and the attached garage is restructured to match, as well as to accommodate the new outdoor terrace perched on its roof. Topped with an angular wooden structure, this volume breaks up the perpendicular volumetry of the corner building and allows gardens to nestle into its interstices.

Large bay windows overlooking the north-facing garden bring maximum light to the living areas and show off the striking colour of the stairway. As a focal point of the interior composition, the stairway brings a warm and vibrant tone to the project. The layout of this sculptural object, playing with diagonal lines, is the central dynamic element of the Canari house.

A black band defines circulation through the house, all the way to the garden. The colour accents in the bathrooms, in orange and blue tones, energize the look of these confined spaces and complete the graphic composition of the project.

• Grands Prix du Design 10e edition  – Color price
• Laureate 34th Prix Domus – Jury’s Favorite & Home Renovation from $ 350,000 to $ 1,000,000

The project was carried out in an old residence built at the foot of Mount Royal around the 1860s for Dr. McCulloch, after whom the avenue would later be named. The residence was subsequently divided into two houses. The project aimed to expand one of the two divisions so the owners would have a new kitchen and an art studio.

The sharp shape of the extension is dictated by the land’s angle setbacks. Its black materials echo the nuances of the works of art made by the owner, a graphite pencil artist, and interact with the grey stones of the century-old house. Like a sculpture, the bricked ground floor acts as a base for the studio, which is covered with black zinc cladding. Vertical steel screens create intimacy on the street angle while revealing Mount Royal’s forest behind.

Inside, special attention was given to transitions in materials to foster a flowing perception of the old and new sections. The idea was to keep the original components of the house while incorporating modern elements such as the main staircase and the Russian birch integrated furniture. Discovered during the renovations, the wooden square wall is the masterpiece of the dining room. In the addition, the focus is on a central midnight-blue block that is used for storage on the kitchen side and for bicycles and skateboards on the secondary entrance side.

Finalist Grands Prix du Design 10th edition – Residential space 1600 p2 or less