Architects: Paul Bernier Architecte
Project: Sutton mountain cedar cottage
Team: Paul Bernier, Anick Thibeault
Location: Sutton, Quebec, Canada
Photography: Claude Dagenais
Text by Paul Bernier Architecte
A mountain cedar cottage for ski weekends, for a family with 2 children. The project simply draws itself through the landscape as a black stroke hurtling down the slope. This axis, heavily marked by the shape of the house, points towards the south as well as Mount Sutton, a view which we wanted to prioritize.
The roof slope is inverted to the site’s topography. Hence, the house has 2 levels to its south end, with wide openings, whereas its north end has a low facade with few openings and is protected by a car shelter. The shelter’s concrete wall also protects the house from runoff waters coming from the mountain, which are heavy during melting season.
The house is completely covered by cedar planks dyed black on its outdoor walls, and white on the inside faces. The plank siding is displayed horizontally, with a vertical plank corresponding to the position of each of the structural columns inserted in the side walls. Inside, one can see the roof beams supported by these columns which give rhythm to the space.
Seen from the road, the green roof is the cottage’s most visible element, the house being downwards. When seen from the north, during summer and winter with its snow cover, the cedar cottage thus melts itself through the landscape.
