Carignan House is sited on a beautiful wooded lot outside of Chambly.  The house was tucked into the north-eastern corner of an existing clearing to make the most of its southern exposure while limiting the amount of tree removal required. To the north the house looks into the forest.  To the west, south and southeast the house looks onto a clearing, separated from the road by more forest. The layout of the house develops around the central kitchen, which has views over all the main spaces and the yard and is functionally connected to the service and laundry spaces. A double-height living room with a high-efficiency wood fireplace connects the two main levels of the house and connects the interior spaces with the surrounding nature. Deep eaves, a projecting trellis and a wood screen on the central stairwell control the summer sun, and an entry terrace between the house and garage/workshop provides a shaded refuge. A geothermal heat pump and polished concrete floors distribute radiant heat throughout the house, and a cistern captures rainwater for irrigation and flushing the toilets, reducing demands on the artesian well.

Year of construction : 2008

Architecture : Studio MMA

Self-built by clients

Structural engineer : Calculatec Inc.