Page 88 - Designing Ways 266

View of kitchen island

View of kitchen from second floor stairs
in a sawtooth formation, creating recesses of semi private spaces
under the large roof overhang to contemplate the view. Within this
seemingly simple building are two large voids, one being a courtyard
framing the angle of the logging road, and the other a roof deck
overlooking the entirety of the vineyard.

The building is meant to elucidate a relationship between a stone wall
and wood tectonics. Aside from the heavily insulated stone wall on
the north side, the majority of the construction materials are wood.
For the main part of the house, this refers to light wood framing,
either with studs, engineered lumber, or deep joists. On the south
facade, however, wood is employed structurally in the mullions of
the wood glazing system, a highly performative envelope with triple
glazing throughout.

Wood construction was of interest in order to keep the embodied
energy and carbon footprint down, but also to allow for a well-
insulated envelope. Beyond the environmental aspect, the lumber,
hemlock cladding, stone, and even the high performance glazing
systems were all locally procured in Quebec. Even the geothermal
ground source heating was not just a "de rigeur" systems choice,
but rather a particularly advantageous element in Quebec, where
plentiful carbon-free municipal electricity can power the heat
pumps. Foremost in the architects' minds was this connection to the
location through materials and craft, as well as traditional forms of
Quebec architecture. The owner is currently working with a local
horticulturalist to plant indigenous flora to support the natural
habitat of the site.

88 Issue 266 • dw