SCREEN HOUSE BY ALAIN CARLE ARCHITECTE

Canadian architect builds a house that follows the irregularities of the site's topology

With the Screen House in Wentworth-North, Canadian architect Alain Carle brilliantly overcame one of architecture’s greatest challenges: building a great house on a limited and irregular site. Plus, he decided to make it black, which is just another reason for us to like it!

But back to more serious considerations. The house is located on a lakeshore, but it is also quite close to the street. The buildable area was therefore quite narrow and asymmetical. The Canadian architect decided to see opportunity rather than difficulty. The design he came up with subtly follows the topography of the site, which allowed the architect to build a house that diverts from the conventional “stylish” residences.

The design here assumes the site’s curves while also strongly contrasting them through sharp geometrical shapes and a beautiful light wood used in the structure. The contrast is even bigger as the wood is juxtaposed with more conventional brick walls painted in black. At the same time, the geometrical complexity serves the house inhabitants in a clever way. It allows both a view of the lake while blocking the noise from the street – just like a screen window.