Our client dreamed of a farm where he could both produce organic farming and live with his family while respecting the ecology of the site, both in terms of volumes and in terms of insertion and eco-design. We had to design an elegant, sustainable, responsible, simple and functional family home. 

Located in the Red River Valley, the iconic forms of agricultural buildings punctuate the landscape of the region: here, the house takes the austere, large and reserved form of an elongated gabled barn, perched from east to west and leaning against the fence. The ground floor has a large open area punctuated by the constructional framework, the envelope is designed as a thick thermal blanket and the wiry green roof seems to float above the massive stone wall. The post-and-beam frame, the exterior cladding made of old barn boards and the Champlain Sea quarry stones that make up the solid wall are all reclaimed and locally collected materials. In the end, the house is capable of potentially achieving Canadian Passive house certification but above all satisfies the desires of its occupants by striking the right balance between comfort, efficiency, responsible development and architectural design. Intertwining high-tech and low-tech, designing a highly contemporary building using local reclaimed materials. Giving new life to noble materials to provide a sensitive response to the programme between tension and tranquillity.