昆托，雪屋建筑丨加拿大魁北克

Architects:Quinzhee Architecture

Area:504m²

Year:2021

Photographs:Dave Tremblay / 1Px

Manufacturers:Forterra Brick,James Hardie,Vicwest

Contractor:LGP Constructions

Team Members:Guillaume Fafard

City:Québec

Country:Canada

Text description provided by the architects. Located in St-Sauveur, an old industrial neighborhood of downtown Québec in which many buildings are being replaced by new housing projects, Quinto replaces a small single-family home at the intersection of Montmagny and Boisseau streets. The project includes three large units, a studio and a townhouse which are distributed around a compact scissor staircase.

This variety of typologies help to maintain a diversity of occupants in the area. The larger units attract families to the city, while the smaller units are more suitable for singles or couples. The L-shaped implantation allows for a maximum of through units, and a minimum of two illuminated facades in each dwelling. In addition, each unit has an independent entrance on the street, which is a strategy that we put forward in most of our projects since it contributes to the feeling of security and belonging to the neighborhood.  This also allows us to reduce the space allocated to circulation and to give it back to quality living spaces.

A large entrance gives access to the interior courtyard of the townhouse, while on the roof a common terrace and an urban vegetable garden allow for an appreciation of the city landscape. This double exposure allows occupants to choose different atmospheres according to their desires. One can therefore enjoy the urban bustle in the front exterior living spaces while benefiting from the quieter spaces of the courtyard. This shared space also encourages good neighborliness and exchanges between the building's residents.

A regular masonry grid runs along the two main facades and frames the rhythmic disposition of the windows. Loggias have also been integrated into the grid to provide outdoor spaces for each unit. Fine awnings cover and identify the entrances of each dwelling. At the back, a light steel and fiber cement cladding update the vernacular vocabulary which is typical of the neighborhood.

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