A lawyer's office occupies a contemporary extension to a commercial building in Montreal, which local studio Naturehumaine designed with a monochrome palette and wooden accents.

The Montreal firm designed the renovation for a two-storey commercial structure in residential neighbourhood Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie.
In addition to renovating the existing building, which contains leasable commercial space on the lower floors, it also added another level that is entirely occupied by a law firm.

The longitudinal top floor was designed to provide private offices, while still bringing in plenty of natural light.
"The third-floor office is organised into a succession of plans; the conference room in front benefits from a visual continuity with the terrace, while the lobby and circulation areas are naturally lit through skylights," said Naturehumaine.
An outdoor patio at the front of the property overlooks Beaubien street and Molson Park. A heavy wooden trellis covers the terrace, and was inspired by the mechanisms of folding cameras, lending the project its name "Le Soufflet".
"This black structure allows the scale of the project to be aligned in continuity with its neighbours from the street, while reinterpreting the architecture of the pergolas in a contemporary way," said Naturehumaine.

The office's conference room is located inside this space and opens both to the outside and to the lobby.
Five private offices are laid out along the corridor. Eac...