Canadian studio Architecture49 has completed Le Littoral, a holiday rental property in Charlevoix, Québec, which was informed by local architecture but has been given a contemporary feel with an off-centre upper level.
The house, which is set next to the Saint Lawrence River in Canada, was built from a skeleton of locally sourced, FSC-certified wood clad in eastern white cedar.
Top image: the lower level is clad in white cedar. Above: the house is topped by an off-centre volume
In order to minimise disruption to the landscape, Le Littoral was constructed high up, leaning on a slope that overlooks the river and La Malbaie Bay. Architecture49 decided against a basement as that would have required "extensive excavation".
The 220 metres-square building (2,400 square feet) features an off-centre volume on the second level wrapped in locally-sourced, pre-painted metal sheets, a material that is often used for roofing in both residential buildings and farm houses in the area. Dining areas and kitchen are on the upper floor
This upper volume houses the kitchen, dining and living spaces under a gabled roof.
"From experience, when you have family gatherings, there's always one or two people who don't want to party and would rather go to bed," Architecture49 designer and project manager Viviane Zhang told Dezeen.
A roof terrace sits above the bedrooms
"There's nothing more annoying, when you are trying to rest, than to hear people or even a dishwasher running...