The Montreal, Quebec-based architects at Alain Carle Architecte really had their work cut out for them with their La Charbonnière project in the Quebec municipality of Cap-à-l’Aigle. Tasked with creating a single-family residence in the midst of a large real estate development project, the firm had to work with a mountainside landscape that had been ravaged to provide residents with unconstructed views of the St. Lawrence River below.
To both capitalize upon and pay respect to the surrounding environment, Alain Carle Architecte drew inspiration from the traditional rural complexes of the region that have all but disappeared in the modern era. Like these rustic constructions, La Charbonnière has a particular way of disappearing within the rolling landscape. Techniques used to accomplish this feat include a large interior yard that approaches the property from the St. Lawrence valley, and “hugs” La Charbonnière’s inhabitants in a protective embrace.