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La Sentinelle, designed by Canadian practice NatureHumaine, is sited on an empty plot of land in the Quebec Mountains
La Sentinelle by NatureHumaine, Canada
La Sentinelle by NatureHumaine, Canada
Due to the constraints posed by the rocky terrain, the architects designed the family home atop a plateau
The result is a two-level, L-shaped house with a folded sloping roof evocative of a bird's wing. 'We see the house as a bird sitting at the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake, which is where its nickname "The Sentinel" comes from,' says the firm's David Dworkind
An exterior staircase leads to the top level of the house, which contains the living spaces, the master bedroom and a guest room
In order to minimise costs, the architects ensured that the house could be built without any steel beams, instead opting for a standard wood frame construction. The exterior is clad in dark grey Goodfellow wood and the roof is covered in ribbed steel sheets with a bronzed zinc finish
The open plan living spaces lead out onto elevated wooden decking
Contrasting wood grains add pattern to the interior
One of the monochrome bathrooms
Dark surfaces are off-set with stark white ceilings
With the clients – a surgeon and an engineer – requesting acoustic separation between the playroom and the master bedroom and guest room, the lower level was designated the 'kids' zone'
The dark wood staircase
The kids' zone consists of the three boys' bedrooms and a games room that provides access to a football field next to the house
With its prime location in the idyllic residential development, generous spaces, plenty of daylight and private access to the nearby lake, it is safe to say that La Sentinelle fulfils its brief and beyond