Lakeside Cabin

Two brothers have embraced outdoor activities as part of their fast-paced city life. A new building on the banks of Lake Brome, will act as a symbol of and a tool for the fulfillment of this commitment - a building in which to share time with friends.

Bisected by a vertical atrium that opens on to the lake, the essence of the design is a concrete floor with a fireplace at its center that creates a place to mingle.

As our brothers relish the possibilities and pleasures offered by a leisure society of skis, snowshoes, fishing rods, mud, luggage, grocery bags… the mundane vanishes when they enter the building.

The tension rooted in the site stems from urban-size width that squeezes the house between number of others houses on its sides and its infinite view over the lake- front sheltered by a natural wall created by the tree-filled hill in the back.

We have created the Black Cabin situated near a small town in the Eastern Townships, set amongst classical 19th century houses and more recently built, modest cottages.

Conceived as an archetypical house, the building has three entrances, forming a loggia at the entrance and at the back, and a covered terrace on the side.

Located in the center of a concrete slab floor on the ground floor, it divides the open space into areas of various spatial qualities.

The exterior cladding is made of larch treated with two methods. Charred planks face directly the elements and natural oil protects the recessed less exposed planks. This play of dark and light increases the singular aspect of the house.