Since 1992, Anne Carrier architecture (AC/a) has been contributing to the improvement of living spaces through architecture based on creativity, quality and durability. Elements of transparency and the enhancement of natural light determine an elegant aesthetic style, capable also of stimulating emotion and historical resonance.
The Residence Le Nid project is built on a hill in Charlevoix, Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada. The house is located on a shared private driveway overlooking a breathtaking view of the majestic landscape.
The building is sheltered by the surrounding vegetation, creating a visual fusion between the exterior of the wooden structure and the bark of the trees in a bucolic setting.
Positioned on a narrow escarpment below the access road, the house appears inaccessible and collected like a bird’s nest in a tree.
The cedar walkway built under the canopy of hundred-year-old pines leads to the entrance of the building on a path through the spectacular landscape.
The main entrance on the northeast side leads to the secondary volumes, the part of the house where the main circulation areas, services and storage are located. Entering the foyer, visitors have direct access to the main living area, an abstract volume that seems to float above the lower level of the house and adjacent spaces.
The glass wall of the living space looks like a painting framing the river, the Massif de la Petite-Rivière-St-François and the Baie-Saint-Paul. Similar to a triptych, the side bay windows complete the composition of the main view, allowing a glimpse of the tip of the Ile- aux-Coudres to the southeast and the countryside to the northwest of the town of Baie-Saint-Paul. This volume and the covered porch are finished in light cedar and have large windows all around, providing natural light during the day, in all seasons.
To the west of the living area, there is access to the master bedroom through the glazed walkway, which protects the privacy of the bedroom while allowing plenty of natural light into the heart of the house.
On the garden level we find very sunny spaces that include guest rooms, a secondary living area and access to a deck with views of the estuary and Baie-Saint-Paul.
The house, with a total surface area of 240m2, is built in different volumes, using wood in different forms. A volume with a balloon structure with dark spruce cladding installed horizontally supports the “Nest”, a pale-coloured volume suspended above the site. The cladding alternates between different coverings, making it functional both as a railing and a screen.
The roof of the house is open on all four sides and has no visual support, giving the impression of being suspended above the structure.
Particular attention was paid to construction details and the overall quality of the construction. The result is perfect integration of the outdoor and indoor spaces, insulation, structural elements and mechanical-electrical systems with the architectural components of the floors and roofs.
The original intention was to shape the site so that users would live inside a work of art that constantly changes with the seasons, the weather and the time of day – a source of pleasure under the radiant June sun, or the sparkling September auroras. According to the owners, the magic is real.
Info annecarrier.com
PROJECT Residence Le Nid
ARCHITECT Anne Carrier architecture (AC/ a)
LOCATION Baie-st-Paul (Québec)
YEAR 2019
PHOTO Maxime Brouillette
