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Project Details:

Location: Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Architect: Naturehumaine / @_naturehumaine

General Contractor: Construction N. Deslauriers

Year: 2022

Footprint: 1,700 square feet

Photographer: Ronan Mézière / @arm.jpg

From the Architect: “The project transforms a duplex on Garnier Street into a cottage with a rental studio in the basement. Located in the heart of the Petite-Patrie district, the existing duplex is part of a series of two-story dwellings with identical facades located on a narrow and deep property.

“The genesis of the project was developed around a specific request from the clients to create a winter living room akin to a chalet in the heart of their home; a modern day cabin suspended in the image of a watchtower, or la cache.

“Translated by a rectangular volume dressed with wood, the ‘watchtower’ is visually connected to the different spaces of the house through its materiality. La cache is thus nested in the existing volume of the house. Suspended in the air, it cantilevers over the ground floor terrace. This feeling of imbrication is accentuated by the extension of the wood siding across the interior and the exterior.

“Featuring a fireplace, la cache is connected by a thick wooden built-in cabinet, opening into a bathroom. Covered with pale blue ceramic tiles, this open bathroom offers views of the fireplace as well as the garden.

“Circulation between the floors is established by a white painted steel staircase with oak steps. This staircase unfolds in the heart of a double-height room, placed between the entrance of the house and the watchtower. This generous double height welcomes in a large skylight that illuminates the living spaces on the ground floor. The staircase then interacts with the wooden volume by way of a footbridge over part of the kitchen.

“On the outside, the rear façade opens up with a generous window. Contained by its brick walls, it contemplates the garden from the different floors.”

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