A Geometric Montreal Home Creates a Sense of Grandeur With a Small Footprint

In Park Extension, Montreal, a historically working-class Greek neighborhood now known for its diverse immigrant population, the Park Ex House is the only two-story residence on its tree-lined block. With its flat roof and tall, geometric form, the 2,400-square-foot dwelling rises above the single-level, gable-roofed homes that surround it. 

The homeowner, a musician who plays a traditional Greek instrument called a bouzouki that resembles a mandolin, chose the neighborhood for its deep Greek roots. He enlisted Montreal designers Nicholas Francoeur and Joel Fontaine Lortie to update his home in a way that pays homage to the original residence and shows respect for the neighborhood.

The original house featured horizontal white siding, which Francoeur and Lortie replaced with vertical, corrugated-steel cladding to accentuate the project’s new second story. The designers also incorporated a slight angle on one side of the roof as a nod to the former gable shape of the home.

The designers relied on simple, low-cost cladding materials to ensure the renovation would suit the neighborhood. The industrial nature of the off-white, corrugated-steel facade contrasts with the lush surroundings, as well as with the cedar and oak used inside the home. Strategically placed double-height windows allow sunshine to illuminate each of the three levels and incorporate the sky and trees into the fabric of the home.

Like its neighbors, the 25-by-25-foot house has a small footprint. Even with the additional level, the team had to get creative to make the interior feel spacious. Francoeur and Lortie suggested sacrificing sections of the ground level and second story to create two double-height spaces, or "voids," as the designer calls them, on the basement and ground levels. This strategy welcomes in natural light and also "generates the possibility for interesting interactions to take place between the three stories," Francoeur says.

Since the client works from home, the designers created a corner office space on the second floor that is tucked away below an angled ceiling and incorporates multiple windows. The bedroom is also located on this level, offering ample privacy for the resident.

On the ground floor, the centrally located kitchen is the focal point of the home, or the "command center" as Francoeur calls it. In response to the client’s request for a laundry chute, the designers built a multi-use, oak-clad unit in the kitchen that—in addition to playing a structural role as part of the adjacent stairway—serves as a laundry chute, planter, and pantry.

The designers chose white oak floors and similarly neutral, pale-wood furniture to keep things "zen" throughout the home. Francoeur hopes the home will set a precedent that heritage buildings don’t need to use solely stone or brick—or rely on a certain architectural aesthetic.

"It can be about preserving the essence of a place," Francoeur says, continuing: "The house is definitely a symbol of changing times in the working-class neighborhood. Like most things that are different and new, people either love or hate it."

The designer felt lucky to attend the client’s housewarming party and observe the Park Ex House brought to life. "It was amazing—dozens of conversations going on in the various levels; everyone separate but together," he says. "At one point, live Greek music was played in the basement and echoed throughout the three levels."

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Project Credits:

Project Designer:  Nicholas Francoeur  and Joel Fontaine Lortie / @nikolas.francoeur and @joel.f.lortie 

Builder/General Contractor:  Construction Thathion

Structural Engineer: Breault & Gosselin Expert conseil

Cabinet Design:  Joel Fontaine Lortie

Custom Concrete & Millwork:  Phil Daoust 

Photography:  Raphael Thibodeau / @raphael_thibodeau