‘Cascading’ home emerges from the forest
Gorgeous residence blends in with impressive hillside of Lac de la Cabane
Spectacular yet discreet — that’s how Estrade Residence distinguishes itself as it overlooks the shores of Lac de la Cabane in Quebec’s stunning Laurentian Mountains. Set within a forest, the property is able to handle the size of the home — 3,600 square feet — comfortably because it cascades down the hillside on four levels.
Architects describe Estrade Residence as a stacked composition of linear volumes. The bedrooms follow the rocky ridge of the house in a staggered configuration while the living spaces are set perpendicular to the ridge maximizing views of the lake. In addition to creating a stunning home, designing one that was in total harmony with its environment was also a huge priority.
As you enter the home from the ground floor, a large, open staircase reaches to the top levels. Glass railings are used to create a feeling of lightness. The design of the home is minimalist with each hallway leading to the luminous staircase.
The kitchen, dining and living room, which stretch to the veranda, are on the ground floor along with the mud room and garage. The black ash-coloured kitchen contrasts with the whiteness of the walls and a double-sided fireplace in the centre of the family’s living area warms the space, as does the natural cedar cladding. The master bedroom ensuite and walk-in closet are located on the upper level, and the kids’ area encompasses two lower levels, the first with their bedrooms and bathrooms and the second lower level contains the kids’ play room and guest bedroom and bathroom.
The house is made of wood on a concrete foundation. Natural stone, brushed white cedar and brushed white cedar tinted black were used for the exterior. Rocks extracted during the excavation have been reused to landscape the property. The home took just under two years to build and was completed in 2016.
Architect Jean-Sébastien Herr, of MU Architecture, answered some questions about Estrade Residence: How have you designed the home so it blends with the scenery?
The house is set perfectly within the topography of the site. The concept is that the house emerges from the rocky topography and blends in with nature. The terraces and the garage roof seem to stretch straight to the ground. What were the challenges in building the home?
The biggest challenge was definitely the site and its rocky topography. As we wanted to orient the house toward the lake, we had to play with the rocky ridge in the middle of the site and position the foundations and the program of the house in order to maximize natural light and views. Once the program was fitted to the topography, it was a question of co-ordinating with structural engineers to make it work. How have you maximized light?
The house is orientated south and numerous large windows maximize the amount of natural light coming in. Roof extensions block direct sunlight in the summer. Can you explain your design of the staircase?
The staircase is made to be and look as light as possible. Considering the stairs are in an open space with only one wall on one side, it was structurally challenging. Steel beams for structure and glass panels accentuate the lightness effect, making it elegant and yet very simple in its com- position. The bottom level seems to blend with the hill — how is that designed?
The bottom level is split half-half so as to follow the topography. Its impact is to lessen and helps break the program in two. The upper part is for the kids as the lower volume is for guests. What did you want to achieve with the different terraces?
A series of steps merging with the site. Allowing the users to enjoy the view at different levels in the house. Offer different areas for different activities like lounging, sunbathing and relaxing by the fire pit. What did you want to achieve by using contrasting colours in the home?
Using three different materials/ colours breaks the house into independent volumes, which makes the house feel lighter and well-integrated. The centre, lighter-coloured volume stands out from the other volumes.