Inspiration for this home comes from the majestic landscape of the St. Lawrence River estuary, visible from the rocky headland on which it is located. Built on a steep slope and unobtrusive on the street side, the house is completely open to the river, unfolding toward the horizon. 

Spatially, rooms are organized around an inverted plan that locates bedroom suites at the garden level. Set in concrete, they are anchored in the site’s topography. At ground level, living spaces panelled in light wood, each one leading into the next, are characterized by different heights that allow definition of different uses. The dining room, airy and full-windowed, pulls away from the main building as it soars toward the horizon. Massive, vertical concrete chimneys provide a striking contrast with transparent openings and the lightness of wooden volumes built on an overhang. 

The long horizontals unfurl to accentuate the landscape

Project Data

Official name of the project: Longs Horizontals

Location: Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Québec, Canada

Budget: private

Project end date: 2017

Area: 490 m²

Client: private

Architects: Thellend Fortin Architectes

Designers: Thellend Fortin Architectes

Project manager: Lisa-Marie Fortin et Louis Thellend

Structural Engineer: Paul-Henry Boutros, NCK inc.

Photographer: Charles Lanteigne

Thellend Fortin Architectes

Louis Thellend and Lisa-Marie Fortin form a dynamic team with an innovative approach to architecture, its relationship with its context, and its impact on the environment. Their practice has allowed them to develop a sensitive vision of the environments in which their projects transpire.

Their creative approach explores the dynamics of contemporary life, and their architectural achievements demonstrate deep insight into current issues and practices.

Possessing diverse architectural experience, Thellend Fortin have collaborated on the design and development of local and international projects of all scales.