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Location: Frelighsburg, Quebec
Project size: 4,850 square feet

Program: Maison Melba, located in the town of Frelighsburg, seamlessly blends with the landscape and local heritage of the Eastern Townships in Quebec. The project—a transformation of a 1970s garage by Montreal-based Atelier L’Abri using passive-house principles—includes a residence, work studio, workshop, and culinary space, as well as a greenhouse and garden for small-scale agricultural production.

Design Solution: The maison’s L-shaped plan is distinguished by a large interstice that slices through the building. Here, beneath a high skylight, the local natural stone floor acts as a continuation of outdoor landscaping and the void itself establishes a barrier between the house and the shared workshop areas.

Photo © Alex Lesage

Furniture groupings dot the plan. A warm palette creates a calm atmosphere. The eye wanders between the Douglas fir floor, lime-coated walls, white oak built-ins, hemlock beams, tall linen curtains, and large windows that frame the landscape. But the workshop side is marked by a more industrial character, intended to spur creativity. The exterior bears materials that blend with the Canadian countryside. Steel covers the gambrel roof, while wood planks, which will age from brown to gray with time, clad the rest of the house.

Structure and Materials: The original building’s envelope, which had deteriorated beyond repair, was carefully dismantled to reveal the original wood frame behind the house’s distinctive silhouette. New double-stud walls were then built to accommodate additional insulation and to reduce thermal bridging. On the exterior, sheathing panels made from recycled wood fiber serve as an intermediary facade material. PassivHaus certified triple-glazed windows complete the envelope. An air tightness rating of 0.37 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals demonstrates the building’s exceptional performance, helping to ensure that Maison Melba will be part of the Frelighsburg landscape for many decades to come.

Additional Information
Completion date: November 2023
Site size: Withheld
Total construction cost: Withheld
Client/Owner: Withheld

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Photos © Alex Lesage

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Images courtesy Atelier L'Abri; click to enlarge