House in Bromont
Located near Bromont, Québec (Canada) and surrounded by woods, this house is set in a natural clearing atop a rocky outcrop. This project, set out to provide a serene, light-filled and timeless space that would be sensitive to its natural setting.
    The house is made up of 2 volumes, a day block and a night block. The day block is a U-shaped volume set on a plateau at the top of the outcrop. It houses the shared living spaces. The facades on the outside of this U-shape are clad in natural stone and pierced by openings that frame prime views. Floor to ceiling windows line the inside of the U and define a sheltered inner courtyard. The night block, which includes the master bedroom, consists of a 2-storey stone block that extends over the slope. A generous window wraps around the southeast corner, to afford a stunning diagonal view over the woods. 
    These 2 volumes are connected by a veranda and a fully glazed passageway. A large roof with an exposed timber frame of Douglas fir covers the entire house. 
    The inside/outside boundary is blurred in various ways. Structural elements like the wood roof, stone walls and galvanized steel columns pass unchanged from the interior to the exterior and large sliding glass doors ensure an easy flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. 
    The building uses materials and construction methods that could be considered traditional or rustic but the form and the architectural treatment is contemporary. The intention was to create a house that would be as solid as the natural environment surrounding it, through the use of elements such as stone, wood beams, steel columns, glass and concrete flooring. The rest is white-painted drywall. Throughout, color is brought into the house by nature and its seasonal changes. 

Year : 2012
Team : Paul Bernier, Nicolas Gervais
Structural Engineer : Alain Mousseau (Calculatec)
Contractor : Constructions Mire
Photos : ©James Brittain