#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
alain carle bases sustainable home overlooking the canadian landscape
nestled among the wooded landscape in quebec, canada, alain carle architecte designed the ‘la héronnière’ house based on the notion of sustainable development.
occupied by a family of four, the clients set the brief with building requirements including: no magnetic field in the inhabited space; no wireless communication protocol; the use self-sufficient energy; materials free of volatile organic compounds and little construction waste.
as well as integrating all the elements requested, the home is given a value of place; an existential quality related to the environment. responding sensibly to the natural surroundings, the dwelling is based on a steep slope ‘in response to the spatial quality generated by this diagonal, we installed a horizontal plane in the landscape, generated from three mysteriously identical geodesic points, located at the top of three boulders present on the site.’ comments alain carle.
most distinctively, the exterior form is clad in a black wood with concrete detailing, meanwhile the internal program is defined by the a simple hierarchical principle of occupation being above or below the horizon line. this results in the living spaces using mineral and raw materials, while a lighter palette for the private rooms above.
sustainability has been highlighted throughout the construction. the concrete used for the load bearing walls is conjoined with the rocks allowing for the mineral quality on the lower level to be retained. the walls are positioned perpendicular to the axis of deployment of the spaces – in relation to the path of the sun – in order to capture its energy during certain hours and store it to save on heating. the ground is also concrete and plays the same role as a passive component by producing a heat and mass transfer at the end of the day.
to restore and give importance to the kitchen and dining within the family’s day-to-day life, it has been placed at the heart of the home. this has brought movement and sociability to the space, while a small greenhouse has been attached – in continuity with the big bay window on the southwest side – for the conservation of seeds from outdoor crops during the fall to prepare for sowing during the winter. some aromatic plants are also kept in the greenhouse all year round, with a drainage system developed to facilitate growing and maintenance.
in terms of energy, the home is mainly fueled through a combination of biomass, and photo-voltaic panels. during peak summer, the system offers an energy surplus that will be rerouted to the region’s power distribution grid and accounted for in winter consumption credits. ultimately, the home should achieve a zero consumption ratio when the economic agreements will be applied with the local distribution grid.
