House on Lac Grenier

For this house on Lac Grenier, Québec, Paul Bernier Architecte chose to create a low-profile, primarily single-storey building.

Its meandering shape is determined by the opportunities offered by the surrounding landscape. The structure bends, opens, and narrows like a river carving its own path. The form is clad with vertical cedar slats of varying width and thickness. The surface reads instead like a palisade that follows the shape of the building and into which openings have been cut.

From the path leading up to the entrance, the building appears as a mostly opaque volume that follows the contours of the site. The garage is concealed from view. To the right, an opening in the palisade invites visitors to come inside. Along the south facade, the volume of the house bends and opens up to let in the light and make the most of the forest view. Further along, the volume bends again, turning toward an opening in the woods that offers a view of the stream flowing into the lake. On the north side, smaller openings frame perspectives of the surrounding landscape. Atop the roof, a small tree-house-like room looks out onto the surrounding greenery. With time, as the cedar slats fade and the trees and ground cover grow back in around the building, architecture and nature will intermingle. Nature will also be invited to cover the building itself, thanks to its green roof.

House on Lac Grenier, Lac Grenier, Ville D’Estérel, Québec
Program: single-family house
Architects: Paul Bernier architect
Architectural team: Paul Bernier, Anick Thibeault
Structure: Calculatec Inc. / Engineer: Alain Mousseau
Contractor: Léonald Goyette, general contractor
Completion: 2014