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Architects: L’Abri
- Area: 176 m²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:Jack Jérôme
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Manufacturers: Blizzard, Caesarstone, Quartz
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Lead Architects: Nicolas Lapierre, Francis Pelletier, Francis Martel Labrecque
Text description provided by the architects. In the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood in Montreal lies a typical duplex from the 1900s that has recently been transformed by L’Abri into a two-story family home. The project has taken the opportunity to decompartmentalize the original space, providing a greater sense of openness and simplicity. On the ground floor, the living spaces are arranged as a large continuous space, spanning from the street to the garden.
The washroom serves as an opaque volume buffering the vestibule from the rest of the house, while the kitchen occupies the centre of the residence, featuring an integrated kitchen with a large island. Running along the latter is the true focal element of the home: an opening between the two floors with a skylight, allowing daylight to seep in all the way to the ground floor. A wooden staircase rises within this opening, with a steel continuous handrail that turns along the second-floor walkway.
The master suite is located in the front part of the building, the room has high ceilings due to the slope of the roof. Auxiliary spaces are given the chance to bathe in daylight as well: the master walk-in closet faces the street balcony, while a second opening is created above the master suite shower. At the back of the house, a new exterior staircase extends to the rooftop terrace, offering a retreat from the city, and a view of the Mount-Royal and downtown Montreal.