Page 80 - Designing Ways 254

Louis-Hémon

House

Montréal, Canada

A small brick house located on Louis-Hémon Street in Montreal
recently underwent a major transformation. This residence had
remained virtually unchanged since its construction in the 1950s.
The programme consisted of creating new living spaces that are
bright, pleasant, and more adapted to a contemporary lifestyle, while
respecting the original character of the residence.

Concept and strategies
Taking place in the heart of Villeray, a lively, family-oriented
neighborhood on a human scale, it was clear to the agency that it
was necessary to find the volumetric balance between the existing
part of the building and the architectural addition, while promoting
harmony within the neighbourhood. Furthermore, it was essential
to preserve key elements of the existing architecture such as the roof
slopes, the dormer, and the characterful volume of the dwelling. New
finishing materials were proposed in order to infuse character and
echo the new installation. In addition to these modifications, the
attic, an unused and cramped space, has been removed. It is through
this decompartmentalisation that the architectural potential took on
its full meaning.

"This gesture was able to bring out the quality of natural light
and maximise the contribution of the house, while enhancing its
character," says Marie Eve Issa, founding designer of ISSADESIGN.

The main change made to the original rear façade was the integration
of more generous openings. The vast windows and doors follow the
rhythm of the building's typology. Moreover, it is through these
modifications that the connection between the interior and exterior
becomes an integral part of the concept and bathes the space in more
light, thus providing the shared living areas with a pleasant place to
live.

The addition is intended to be a contrasting architectural language
between the two volumes. It was important for the agency to create
an opposition so that the whole forms a whole uniting itself through
the expression of contemporaneity.

"We propose a distinctive addition by creating a distance between
the volumes in order to establish a dialogue of architectural respect,
making the existing building breathe," explains the agency. "The
objective is to enhance it."

Contrasting in its simplicity, the new wing plays on the idea of
mystery, for it is within the latter that private spaces are hidden.

Distribution of spaces
In the original layout, the rooms were divided into a private area
around the bedrooms, and a public area around the living room. This
configuration has been modernised and transposed into the new
layout through the implementation of a volume housing the social
areas of the house, and private areas, which take place within the
adjacent volume, the addition.

80 Issue 254 • dw