On the shores of Lake Ouareau in Saint-Donat, Quebec, ACDF Architecture has designed a home that looks out across the landscape and provides a peaceful place for a busy family.
The self-proclaimed ‘hyperactive family’, with a schedule packed with activities, namely skiing and waterskiing, needed a quiet respite from their timetable to rest and regroup. In love with nature, they wanted a house that would place them directly in the landscape and enable them to continue to enjoy the great outdoors whilst feeling protected.
Montreal-based ACDF Architecture came up with a solution that opened up the house to its picturesque location. Orientated towards the lake, the residence’s upper volume is a prism of dark wood that leans out into the landscape. The curved roof shelters a wide elevated terrace, a spacious extension of the interior, for the family to spend time outdoors in the sheltered space. The architects even built-in mosquito nets for all-season nature appreciation.
The spacious terrace accommodates outdoor living all year around. Photography: Adrien Williams
Family life plays out in the upper volume. From each raised end of the volume, sunlight streams through the space while the shape of the curved roof distributes the light evenly. Reminiscent of a boat’s hull, all the activity of the house is collected here in – from the entrance to the house, the kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms.
The lower volume, where there is a family room, sauna and the children’s rooms, was defined by the specific shape of the surrounding site and is almost buried into the land. The solid façade of the concrete base shields the house from the nearby road for privacy, and extends into an exterior wall to protect an outdoor space for socialising. §
