b uilt in the middle of an agricultural field, over the ruins of an old farm, the Vaillan- court-Normand residence dominates the landscape of the small village of Ste-Cath- erine-de-Hatley in the Eastern Township region. Views of the fields, Mount Orford and the surrounding Magog lakes are spectacular. The site dictated an honest and authentic architectural intervention. A simple rectilinear volume that is oriented towards the road and parallel to the views, the large windows open up onto the surrounding fields and allow the owners to live in harmony with the seasons. The residence embeds itself in the landscape and the steel and glass façades act as a mirror of the elements. The image of a moving locomotive overseeing the landscape well represents this residence. Erected on a quarried stone base, the red ce- dar facades are crowned by stainless steel ele- ments. The traditional materials coming from the earth are used in a contemporary fashion. Stone and wood allow the residence to bor- row from the past to define the actual setting and to remove ourselves from the traditional image of the little house in the prairie. c
Jean-François Brosseau completed his archi- tecture degree in 1995 at Université Laval in Québec. He has worked for CIMAISE since then and is today a partner in the firm.
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housing | houses | house
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