At the origin of the project, a '' shoebox ''. A modest small one-storey house, built in the 1920s, which has a facade as prosaic as its interior spaces. As an architect, the main challenge of the project is to know if this type of house, which some want to be heritage, must be conserved and protected. After a trial ideation phase, a design principle was imposed: preserve the main façade and develop the single-family house project around it.

The second principle guiding the design, revolves around the optimal use of natural light in indoor spaces. Indeed, the usual constraints of the construction of terraced residences forced a lack of daylight in central spaces. The installation of a large skylight in the middle of the house has decided naturally, with a staircase that has covered the 3 floors of the house and has diffused light in the rooms, living spaces, and even in the basement.

From 2 postulates, the functional organization was made quickly, with a games room, a bedroom in the basement, living areas and an office on the ground floor as well as 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on the first floor.

For the house facades, the composition and some decorative elements of the original façade were preserved, but the masonry was redone. On the rear facades, burnt wood has been chosen as a coating for its aesthetics and durability.

In the end, this reflection on these shoebox houses, in a context of real estate growth and urban densification, allowed the construction of a hybrid house, resolutely modern but with a trace of the past.

Technical Sheet 

Project Name: MAISON LH 

Localisation: Montreal, QC, Canada 

Project End: Summer 2019 

Construction Budget : 650 000$ 

Architect/Designer: FUGERE ARCHITECTURE 

Design Team: Ashraf Mohamed-Ahmed et Claude Fugere, architects 

Collaborators 

Photographer: Felix Audette 

Contractor: Art Reno 

Exterior Products 

Windows and doors: Reynaers + Solarcom 

Charred cedar: Arbre et bois 

Skylight: Verplex 

About FUGÈRE ARCHITECTURE 

FUGÈRE ARCHITECTURE is an agency established in the cities of Montreal and Quebec that offers professional services in architecture, design and urban development. FA is a team of 6 architects, trainees and technologists passionate about design, always creators of innovative solutions combining trends and contemporary technologies. 

FA is concerned about environmental issues and implementing design bases for a sustainable development approach. At FA, we believe that an architecture guided by intelligent design reduces the ecological impact of our buildings. The architecture project fits into a global context, it supports the development of cities on a human scale.