和平居处丨Quinzhee Architecture

Architects:Quinzhee Architecture

Area:48m²

Year:2024

Photographs:Adrien Williams

Manufacturers:Dastex,De Bois Blouin,Isothermic,Lunos Canada,Morso,Protech,Rochon,Tuile 3R

Contractor:Nomad construction

Design Team:Guillaume Fafard, Gabriel Lemelin

Engineer:MA-TH Solutions d’ingénierie

City:Lac-Beauport

Country:Canada

Text description provided by the architects. Peace is a rustic retreat located on a wooded and sloping terrain near the summit of Le Maelström Mountain in Lac-Beauport. Serving as both the starting and ending point for several hiking trails developed directly on the vast site, it is the ideal refuge for outdoor enthusiasts.

The project revolves around the meeting of two volumes with complementary functions. The first, a metal volume clad in eastern townshipper tiles, rises over three levels to house the interior spaces, along with a rooftop terrace with a spa. Its profile adapts to the site's natural slope, forming a parallelogram shape that, with its generous parapets, shields the spa from wind and prying eyes.

The second volume, a large wooden bleacher covered in open-jointed cedar slats, emerges from the ground and extends southeastward like an observatory, offering panoramic views of the mountainous landscape and the distant river. This giant stair set not only provides access to the various levels of the metal volume but also casts shade over the interior spaces while offering numerous gathering, exercise, and contemplation areas for visitors.

Upon arrival, one first passes beneath the wooden volume to enter the rustic retreat or access the bleachers and forest trails. On the ground floor, the more intimate spaces of the bedrooms are separated by the bathroom. The ceiling's open-jointed cedar covering extends visually, creating a seamless connection between the interior and the exterior. On the upper floor, the living spaces are accessible from the inside via a ladder and from the outside via the stairs of the bleachers. Enveloping the metal volume, the wooden structure reveals, on one side, a balcony offering magnificent, unobstructed views, and on the other, the bleachers overlooking the dense forest.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Lac-Beauport, Canada