Sur Le Ruisseau 住宅丨加拿大丨Matière Première Architecture

Perched on a steeply sloping site at the edge of a fjord in Saguenay, Canada, Sur Le Ruisseau house was designed by local studio Matière Première Architecture in 2019 as a retreat from everyday life. The minimalist interiors are warmed with natural materials including a full-length red oak bookshelf, which extends throughout the home and doubles as a light fixture.

Positioned at the edge of the fjord

The Sur Le Ruisseau house by Matière Première Architecture perches on a steeply sloping site at the edge of a fjord. The local studio arranged the volumes longitudinally, following both the shoreline and the terrain, and organised the program into three distinct but interconnected zones. “The site’s topography and natural dynamics guided our design, allowing us to harmonise the project with its surroundings,” said architect Étienne Chaussé.

Lowering the structure minimised cut and fill operations

Lowering the structure across the property minimised cut and fill operations, while also incorporating a long suspension in the middle. The bed of pebbles below allows for the passage of rainwater that flows down from the adjacent hillside, “the natural flow of water during spring snowmelt can run beneath the structure before joining the fjord”.

Three distinct zones

With a contemporary architectural expression, the home’s three zones are subtlety defined by the roof shapes. A double-pitched roof tops the utility and private zone, which spans three levels and includes a garage, gym, and guest rooms, as well as the family suite at the top. A dropped living room is placed in the middle, where the lack of roof pitch gives it a lower profile.

Interior given minimalist and warm materials

The main living zone “appears to float above the landscape”, with a glass-enclosed wine cellar facing a wide staircase that creates a visual separation from the first zone. The other programmes in the middle volume include the kitchen and the dining room, with the sunken living room also offering opportunity to create a slight division of space.

The third volume functions as a “transition zone” defined by an outward slant of the perpendicular roof edges. This section includes a children’s playroom, fire-heated veranda, and a versatile bathroom to bridge “the warm interior of the house with the northern outdoor landscape”. Once again, the material palette both inside and out is designed to work with the surrounding conditions.

Steel cladding resistant to weather

A steel cladding dominates the facades, for resilience, while a metallic roof without eaves works with the northern architectural condition to withstand winters. Other contextual materials in the exterior and interior detailing work similarly with the rugged Canadian landscape. A long bookshelf made from red oak fills much of the living zone interior, providing texture and a functional organisational statement throughout.

“A continuous red oak bookshelf extends throughout the length of the house, fulfilling the clients’ wish to have their books within reach,” the studio said. “The upper row of the bookshelf and kitchen cabinets includes windows overlooking the backyard, allowing natural light to filter through the space,” it continued.

An exterior cladding of earthy-toned linear bricks

Both volumes placed perpendicular to the fjord in plan use a material palette including an exterior cladding of earthy-toned linear bricks. These two volumes are named “Berges Grises”, which “brings warmth and solidity reminiscent of the surrounding geological formations”.

The studio also used prefabrication as a component of the design process. Due to the remoteness of the site, building with the assistance of contractor Habitation DLC kept the construction on schedule and preserved as much of the surrounding ecology as possible. The architecture studio has completed a variety of projects in Canada, including a cottage with a patio that mimics an internal courtyard.