AN ARCHITECT’S VIEW

It’s all about light, space, a feeling ...

As a child, Laurent McComber spent most of his time outdoors, in the woods. He enjoyed working on all kinds of objects, especially those made of wood, so it’s not surprising that he became a carpenter, and then an architect, after graduating from the Université de Montréal.

“I’ve always been a kind of a doer, somehow; I even built a small cabin in the woods during my childhood,” he said, “so it was kind of natural for me to become a builder.”

Since 2005, his architecture firm, L. McComber, has taken a sustainable and creative approach to design that’s inspired by nature to create tailored projects of varied scope, from integrated furniture and condominium units to transforming existing residential buildings and creating exterior spaces for public use.

“I hope my style is very warm and welcoming and made for people, as opposed to pictures,” McComber said. “Architecture should have more to do with the way of life of the people you’re designing for, as opposed to pure style.”

Because outdoor living is so important to him, each project expresses a strong and related focus. “I love nature, so we work with a lot of plants and windows, which helps,” he said.

“Residential architecture was a lot less fancy when I started; it was more standard than it is now, but we experimented a lot during those years, and learned how to do interesting work with a limited budget. It helped me understand what building is all about.”

In addition to limited budgets, McComber is also used to working with limited space.

“When we began, we did a lot of small spaces, and we optimized those spaces by using built-in furniture; it was a way of making them as effective as possible,” he said. “For example, if you lean a five-foot desk against a seven-foot wall, you lose two feet of wall space — but if you have an integrated desk that’s built to fit the wall, you gain a few feet of working space.”

Integrated furniture also works well by matching the style of the space of which it’s an integral part. “It can add a special element to spaces that might otherwise be a little dull,” McComber said.

These days, the projects he works on are focused on sustainability, durability and energy efficiency, which he said has everything to do with the kinds of materials that are used for building. “It’s a great opportunity for us to use the raw materials that we love working with, like wood, steel, concrete, brick and stone — not materials that are full of glue, or petroleum-based materials.

“Our practice is focused on doing quality work, without fireworks or superficiality. We try to go straight to the objective, being practical and trying to find the right solutions that are durable and appreciated by the people who live in the spaces we create.”

Two such places are La Passe à Drolet and the MileEndeur, small-scale condominium projects McComber’s firm worked on in Montreal’s Mile End, where the main objective was combining the desire to be creative with the need to maximize residential space intended for the use of families in one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in town.

With La Passe à Drolet, which occupies the rear portion of a lot between Henri-Julien Ave. and Drolet St., L. McComber created a four-unit, four-storey building that forms an L-shape, with two courtyards that can be accessed through a large doorway. A combination of matte and glossy beige bricks was used on the outside of the building, while the units themselves are a mix of warm wood floors and cool, neutral materials like glass and stone. The result is an atmosphere that’s both cosy and modern.

As for the MileEndeur, its main highlight is the abundance of natural light which floods its units, as well as the views of St-Laurent Blvd. and the city, which are accessible from the large loggia on the second floor and the terraces on the third floor, respectively. Each unit also has its own outdoor space, which is always a priority of McComber’s when designing residential properties.

“Beautiful architecture isn’t about products,” he said.

“It’s about light, space, a view and a feeling — feeling at harmony — which has more to do with choosing the right ideas versus the right materials. That’s what we sell: ideas.

“I like to work developing beautiful ideas independent of the influence of the consuming nature of the industry.”

PHOTO BY CINDY BOYCE, COURTESY OF L. MCCOMBER Architect Laurent McComber, seated at the table, with his team in the background.

PHOTO BY RAPHAËL THIBODEAU, COURTESY OF L. MCCOMBER The L. McComber architecture firm created this exterior space outside the Parc métro, with tables and seating for 60 people in a shaded area near a public kitchen and barbecue.

PHOTO BY RAPHAËL THIBODEAU, COURTESY OF L. MCCOMBER La Cardinale, a home in St-Laurent, was transformed by L. McComber when an extension was added to the existing home, built in the Tudor style.

PHOTOS (3): BY STEVE MONTPETIT, COURTESY OF L. MCCOMBER MileEndeur, a condominium building on Fairmount Ave. in Mile End, features a large loggia on the second floor, terraces on the third floor, and large windows that let plenty of light into the units (as seen in the interior at right).

The units in La Passe à Drolet, a four-unit, four-storey condominium building between Henri-Julien Ave. and Drolet St., feature warm woods and cool, neutral materials like the tile flooring shown here.