This building is characterized by its interplay between opacity and transparency and between interior and exterior. It is very carefully integrated into its setting, following the site’s topography so closely that the building appears to be sculpted from the landscape itself. The mix of materials and colours gives it character, while creating clear boundaries between different spaces.

Strategies for site integration and spatial organization

The new building sits in a forest, along a narrow escarpment on Camping Road, with Stukely Lake and its beach below. The first half of the building’s main volume gently follows the same contours from which the outdoor amphitheatre is carved. A stratum of the building’s landscape-roof rises gently, echoing the park’s topography. In the centre, part of the building is open to an expansive view of the lake before taking a sharp change of direction, highlighting the building’s entrance and defying the slope. The building plunges toward the breathtaking view of the island and Mont Chauve.

The service (kitchen) area is tucked away discreetly, while the patio and discovery space layer three strata with different geometries. The first, the storage area for sports equipment, has a functional geometry aligned with activities and the lake; the second is the patio, which adjusts to both perimeter and interstitial traffic; and the third is the roof, rising higher to open up the view of Mont Chauve; it is angled upward to better control incoming natural lighting. 

Not unlike a gazebo, the interior and exterior spaces are interconnected by a network of walkways comprising a catwalk, stairs, covered passageway and an outdoor gap based on the natural course of the trails.

Materials: wood in every form

The park’s lakes, mountains and forests provided inspiration for the choice of materials. The buildings have a symbiotic relationship with the site’s extraordinary landscape and the materials found there. Wood, in various forms, gives both interior and exterior spaces warmth and coziness. It works in harmony with the indigenous vegetation used for landscaping, and with the slate paving stones and gabion walls that characterize the paths and landscaping. 

The architectural approach and the site itself dictated the use of vertical cladding echoing tree trunks in the nearby forest. The textures, materials and colours used, in harmony with tree bark, cause the building’s appearance to shift with each passing hour. Crafted specifically for this project, the building’s cedar cladding is applied in alternating strips—recessed, in relief, gaps. As a result, the shadows falling on the building change as the sun moves across the sky. After nightfall, the effect transforms the storage areas into gigantic lanterns. The cedar cladding is also used for rain barriers and ventilated façades in a simple but clever way, by removing or keeping the recessed portion. 

The building’s organic configuration, in symbiosis with the site, nearby activities and views, demands that the main volumes include certain openings. Smoother and paler cedar cladding is used in these locations, evoking the contrast between skin and flesh in freshly cut fruit, enabling a coherent reading of the building.

First in a series of three

The Centre de Services Le Bonnallie is the first of three buildings to be built by the Anne Carrier architectural firm in Mont Orford Park.

Collectively, the projects will give the park a unique, identity-shaping architectural signature. The continuity of the approach, focused on clear architectural expression, will lead to rich, stimulating places that sustain a constant dialogue with users and the environment, in every season.

Data sheet

Project: Centre de services Le Bonnallie

Location: Parc national du Mont-Orford, Orford, QC, Canada

Client: Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq)

Ms. Annie Lalancette, arch. project manager, Sépaq

Project architect: Anne Carrier architecture (AC/ a)

Designers: Anne Carrier, lead architect, Robert Boily B.Arch./ B.Sc.A., Patricia Pronovost architect, Mathieu St-Amant architect

Collaborators:  

Structural and civil engineers: Les services exp inc.

Mechanical engineer (electrical): Martin Roy et Associés

Landscape architect: Agence Relief Design

General contractor: Construction Longer

Area: 430 m2

Budget: $2.5 M

Project completion: July 2016

Photographer: Stéphane Groleau

Winner of the Prix d’excellence Cécobois 2016 for institutional buildings under 1,000m2.

About Anne Carrier architecture (AC /a)

The winner of the prestigious Governor General’s Award for architecture in 2016, the Anne Carrier architectural firm is recognized for the quality of its work and its excellent service, as well as for its ability to solve complex problems with a simple, effective and sustainable approach. The firm has earned more than 35 awards and distinctions during its 25-year history, in recognition of its mastery of building design and technology, as well as its ability to work within budgets and to exceed client expectations. 

Since 1992, the firm has been strongly committed to its mission of contributing to the improvement of living spaces by focusing on the creativity, quality and durability of its architectural creations. By offering well thought out, gimmick-free solutions in harmony with surrounding natural, cultural and urban landscapes, the firm seeks to contribute to the success of a distinct Québécois architecture that will be an integral part of tomorrow’s heritage. 

The firm’s conceptual, architectural, aesthetic and technical choices converge on the creation of spaces where “natural light and transparency” reign. The approach is grounded in clear and elegant tectonic expression and fine detail work. Through its search for a perfect balance between complex components and elegant results, the team creates sensitive and stimulating spaces with emotional depth and historical resonance.