Categorie du projet: Single family

Two single-family semi-detached residences bring greater density to Rue des Écores in Montreal’s Villeray neighbourhood.

For 60 years, this triple lot accommodated a single-family detached residence, garage and immense parking space. The promoter purchased the land and divided it into three distinct lots, each accommodating a single-family residence.
The first development phase is comprised of two semi-detached residences bordered by an alley to the North. Aligned with the street, the facades offer a sober massing of dark clay brick, with entrances set back from the street and highlighted by a light natural cedar siding. The horizontality of the brick volume is marked by a frieze composed of oblique protruding bricks, creating a scale-like texture. The theme continues in the back with an inverse composition: the brick base transitions to a second-storey featuring a light volume of cedar arranged in a series of vertical sections in sawtooth formation.
Inside, the garage articulates a series of split-levels above which is located an office clad in tongue and groove ash, opening onto a two-storey living room. These volumes are linked by a stairway, with a white painted plywood balustrade that forms the central cheek wall supporting open solid ash risers. This pathway ends in a kitchen that generously opens onto a garden bathed in southern light.

An asphalt driveway turns into a garden-courtyard connected to its alley.

Like many other lots abutting a paved alleyway in Montréal, the backyard of this duplex was nothing but a long driveway with lawn on either side. The project’s showcase at the Maison de l’architecture du Québec as part of the « réinventer la ruelle » exhibition was the starting point from which this bold landscaping project took off.

Three terraced levels replaced the single, long slope: a sunken patio where the shed/workshop sits tucked away, a middle patio lined with flowerbeds, and a driveway doubling as a play area at street level. The upper two are finished with light grey paving stones, with poured concrete on the lowest level. An edible garden with fruits and vegetables provides a touch of green to the overall design: cherry and apple trees, grape vines, Siberian kiwi, juniper, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, sweetberry honeysuckle, daylilies, asparagus and wild arugula offer a tasty selection for the whole family! Large cedar balconies adjoin the kitchens on each floor, bringing the garden atmosphere to each apartment. Built-in benches maximize the available space, in addition to giving the residents some privacy.

The tubular galvanized steel construction of the stairs and balconies is reminiscent of the structure of the chain link fences that run along much of this alleyway. In addition to acting as a trellis for the vines and blackberries, this modest fence opens up to the neighbourhood, just like the large bench that faces the alleyway. This piece of outdoor furniture, which also marks out the property line, is as much for the neighbours as it is for the family to enjoy. Oh fence, open up your garden and reveal your beauty!

A duplex is converted into a single-family residence in the popular Rosemont neighborhood in Montreal.

The family living in this ground floor duplex felt cramped in their two dark rooms and tight kitchen. After taking over the second floor, they transformed the main level into a large flowing living space surrounding a centre staircase that leads upstairs and down. With its steel cut stringer, solid cherrywood stairs, and aluminum and glass railing, the staircase is bathed in natural light coming from the new skylight right above it. Built-in furniture separates each room: a writing desk in the entryway, a half wall come bookcase in the living room and hanging cabinets in the kitchen. Wrapped in narrow cherry slats, the outer walls of the kitchen make for an inviting space partially open on both sides. A large fixed window looks out from the dining room onto a raised garden covering the stairs down to the basement. This Rosemont home is steeped in serenity. There is nothing broken up about this design!

A spectacular cherry wood kitchen island is cut numerically in an Ahuntsic triplex.

To unveil the counter window, the tall cabinets and the fridge are placed on the bathroom wall. A shelf with recessed LED lighting accentuates the horizontality of the composition and emphasizes the window sill. Wedged between the basement descent and the backyard wall, a small worktop and wooden shelves furnish a trapezoidal alcove. Right in the center of the room sits a solid cherry parametric island. The resulting peanut-shaped coutertop makes it easy to sit all four family members. The organic form of its foot was generated by a mathematical algorithm and recalls the pedicle, stem of the mushroom.

An inground pool adds a refreshing touch to a Notre-Dame-de-Grâce backyard in Montréal.

Closed off on one side by a garage and on the other by the rear façade of this early 20th century home, the backyard had barely 1000 square feet to offer for a new inground pool.

Envisioning a small city lake, the architects gave this body of water a soft, curved geometry extending to the garage, where it meets a semi-circular cabana. To minimize visual impact but still control access to the pool, digitally cut steel fences are partially embedded in the ground on one side and built into the stairs on the other. The gently sloping natural concrete on one end of the pool forms a small beach, while the surrounding narrow river stone edge allows lush vegetation to move in as close as possible to the water. Alongside the pool, our little Notre-Dame-de-Grâce family invites you to dive right in!

A three-storey Victorian duplex is converted into a single family dwelling in Plateau Mont-Royal.

New light was introduced by opening up the heart of this 19th-century three-storey building and installing a skylight. With its open plan, the 805-square-foot ground floor looks more spacious and takes full advantage of its generous opening onto the garden. Street side, the original façade was restored to highlight the grey stone topped by a mansard roof. Yard side, distinct and generous openings punctuate the light clay brick walls. Inside, the mitoyen walls were stripped bare to reveal the age of this old duplex. A solid birch wood staircase with open risers interacts with the colourful masonry. The floor and balustrades, composed of narrow birch wood slats, highlight the verticality of the space and filter soft light, creating unexpected glimpses of daylight.

A single-family dwelling in Mile-End expands into a mezzanine facing a rooftop terrace.

By adding a large open office on the third floor of their residence, this young family fulfilled its wish to take full advantage of two spectacular views: Mount Royal to the West and Saint-Michael’s Church to the North. At the far end of the room, the first desk faces the church, while the second desk forms a partition between the office and a stairwell that leads straight onto the terrace with a view of the mountain. A large bookshelf lines the wall facing the garden and closes the volume bordered by an L-shaped window that lets light in while limiting the gaze of curious onlookers.

An attic is gutted in a Plateau townhouse to allow for a third-floor sanctuary.

Over five feet high, two distinct sloped structures made with thick layers of tar and gravel formed the roof of this old duplex built in 1880.
Replacing this structure with an insulated open-truss roof liberated impressive 13-foot ceilings. The floor is organized around a series of shelves made of recuperated wood that wind around a white utility cube. Divided into two volumes by a sheet of glass, this cube accommodates a marble mosaic shower, a sink and two wardrobes. On either side of the original stair and brick wall, gypsum volumes and their lofts provide storage for the master bedroom and artist studio. Juliette has found the attic of her dreams!

An Old Montreal apartment is completely refurbished.

After taking possession of this apartment in Old Montreal, the client wanted to make a series of small interior interventions: replacement of doors, installation of a bench in the entrance, built-in beds and desks and the construction of integrated shelves and wardrobes. The finished product had to be sober and classical. The specially designed furniture is made from solid oak panels, stained white. Framing a windows and doors, the furniture makes elegant use of the limited space available. Every detail is reduced to its simplest expression: reveals, straight wooden edges.

The ground floor of a duplex in Rosemont is remodeled to free some more space.

A small bedroom in the centre of the space was sacrificed to extend the cramped kitchen in this less than 1000-square-foot ground-floor dwelling. By concentrating the equipment along the central wall, the architect liberated a long narrow island right in the centre of this renewed living space. Bordered by a wall of cupboards framing two large windows, a wooden counter can be turned over to create two user-friendly workstations. This white kitchen, in the heart of the dwelling, offers a breathtaking long-view perspective of the garden.