Contemporary Nature House in the Laurentian Mountains by Saucier+Perrotte Architects

Nature House in the Laurentian Mountains by Saucier+Perrotte Architects

The house is uncompromising in its contemporary architectural expression, both reflecting modernity and local building traditions overlooking a verdant mountain landscape. Formed in three main volumes — eating, sleeping and living — slide on one another along an east-west axis. Pierced obliquely by an interior stair, the superimposed volumes are aligned with the entrance-level pool. A translucent screened outdoor living-room, typical of the region, projects into the woods at the point where the main volumes overlap, and emphasizes the sliding geometry of the project.

Entrance Side by Saucier+Perrotte Architects

Situated along the same horizontal plane as the entrance volume of the main house, the guesthouse is envisaged as a prism — formally analogous to the building blocks of the house — having slid westward, detaching from the main mass. A deceptively simple manipulation of building blocks, the residence seeks out the infinite information from elements belonging to the site: its topography, rock formations, trees, and ground cover. While providing a unique facade pattern, the positioning of these strips permits several partially-hidden slit window openings. The south facade, which screens the sun to varying degrees, is completely open to forest panorama. The lateral wood-slats on this face of the building form a continuous band of wall, soffit and roof deck.

Exterior Pool by Saucier+Perrotte Architects

Openness is essential to appreciate the vastness of the surroundings. Luminous interior sub-volumes, translucent or opaque white, maintain the volumetric clarity of the project, even as they at times show traces of underlying wood grain. “Rooms” find themselves somewhere between flowing and compartmentalized, offering the occupants multipurpose or interpretive spaces. The formal movement of building elements is activated by the literal movement of people in space: whether approaching by car, descending the oblique stair, swinging the large sliding doors, or swimming lengths across the pool.