Microclimat designed a low-impact intervention for an addition that would occupy a small portion of the garden a centennial home located in the Plateau Mont-Royal, Montréal.
Hôtel-de-Ville
Designed around a poplar tree that had to be preserved, Architecture Microclimat added a low-impact building that serves as a leisure space to an old house from 1885.
View Article details
- 18 May 2016
- Montréal
With a vision to respect the home’s original character and preserve the large poplar rooted in the backyard, the new building establishes a new dialogue with its surrounding environment. The expanded architecture – an intermediate area between the yard and the living quarters – offers a newfound flow of space and light in the home without compromising intimacy. The contrast between the modern addition and the home’s original design from 1885, is further accentuated by the addition of a light steel staircase that serves as a filter between the interior and exterior spaces.
Two sunrooms located near the new wooden windows of the refurbished space offer a comfortable reading space near the yard, providing the family with the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding environment year round. The staircase connects the spaces and allows a complete reorganization of the home’s original interior design, representing the verticality of the tree. Perched on the peak of the new space, the mezzanine is home to the master bedroom, with direct access to a new rooftop terrace. The mezzanine is cantilevered on both sides of the home and yard, floating over the neighbouring homes and minimizing the modifications made to the original structure.
Hôtel-de-Ville, Montréal, Canada
Program: extension of a residential building
Architects: Architecture Microclimat
Structural engineering: Geniex
Main contractor: Paquet construction urbaine
Area: 518 sqm
Completion: 2015