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Nicole Furtado
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Set within the landscape of Wentworth-Nord, Canada, SONO by Atelier Carle is a secondary residence shaped by its relationship to the surrounding terrain and northern light.
Three long concrete walls of varying heights establish the approach, gradually revealing the entrance through a narrow opening between them.
Inside, the spaces unfold across the natural slope, creating a sequence of rooms and views that allow two households to share a home while maintaining a degree of privacy.
Photography above by Félix Michaud.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The approach begins with the concrete walls, which are scaled to the landscape rather than the building alone.
Their size and permanence establish a strong threshold, while the narrow opening between them keeps the entrance partially concealed.
The walls become the first element of the house encountered from the landscape, anchoring the arrival sequence before the interior spaces come into view.
Beyond the entrance, the plan begins to open and shift.
The clients, two friends sharing the residence, wanted to be together without having to occupy the same space at all times.
In response, the volumes are arranged as a meandering sequence rather than a single open plan.
Rooms gradually reveal one another, creating visual intimacy while also breaking up the acoustic environment.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The natural slope continues to shape the interior.
Spaces unfold in terraces, with different viewpoints emerging from each room as the level changes.
There isn’t one fixed perspective of the surrounding landscape.
Instead, the relationship with the outdoors shifts as you move through the house, with indirect light changing across the spaces throughout the day.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The kitchen takes a different approach.
It is the room that opens most completely toward the landscape, becoming a gathering point for the residents and their guests.
That openness also creates a more direct connection to the surrounding environment, making the kitchen less of a contained service space and more of a place where the interior and exterior meet.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
Material choices reinforce the connection to the setting.
The exposed timber structure was developed with a local carpenter, allowing the team to source a significant quantity of hemlock from a site adjacent to the project.
The same wood continues onto the north façade through the columns, fascias, and cladding.
Working with material available so close to the project reduced the distance between sourcing, fabrication, and construction while giving the structure a direct relationship to its surroundings.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The house is also anchored directly on existing bedrock.
By avoiding blasting and significant excavation, the construction minimized major intervention into the terrain.
This is perhaps one of the clearest lessons from SONO: the landscape does not need to be corrected before architecture can take its place within it.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
SONO is ultimately less concerned with creating a recognizable architectural style than with responding to the specific conditions of its location.
The slope determines how the spaces unfold, the views shape what is revealed, and the available material informs how the structure is made.
The result is a house that doesn’t simply look toward its surroundings, but allows the landscape to influence the experience of moving through it.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
Atelier Carle is a Montreal-based architecture practice founded by Alain Carle, bringing together a collaborative team focused on the relationship between place, materiality, and construction.
Since its formation in 2023, the studio has continued the work developed by Carle over more than twenty-five years, approaching architecture through an exploration of the specific qualities of each site.
The firm’s projects bring together precise material work, varied construction techniques, and a sensitivity to landscape, treating the particularities of place as an integral part of the creative process.
CREDITS:
Architect – Atelier Carle
General Contractor – Metric Construction Inc.
Structural Engineer – VCMa Engineering consultants
Geotechnical Engineer – Ingénat Engineering consultants
Reclaimed Wood – Taylor Lukian
Windows – Shalwin
Photography – Félix Michaud
Source: V2com
The post Atelier Carle Shapes a Residence Around the Landscape in Wentworth-Nord appeared first on The Landscape Library.
Three long concrete walls of varying heights establish the approach, gradually revealing the entrance through a narrow opening between them.
Inside, the spaces unfold across the natural slope, creating a sequence of rooms and views that allow two households to share a home while maintaining a degree of privacy.
Photography above by Félix Michaud.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The approach begins with the concrete walls, which are scaled to the landscape rather than the building alone.
Their size and permanence establish a strong threshold, while the narrow opening between them keeps the entrance partially concealed.
The walls become the first element of the house encountered from the landscape, anchoring the arrival sequence before the interior spaces come into view.
Beyond the entrance, the plan begins to open and shift.
The clients, two friends sharing the residence, wanted to be together without having to occupy the same space at all times.
In response, the volumes are arranged as a meandering sequence rather than a single open plan.
Rooms gradually reveal one another, creating visual intimacy while also breaking up the acoustic environment.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The natural slope continues to shape the interior.
Spaces unfold in terraces, with different viewpoints emerging from each room as the level changes.
There isn’t one fixed perspective of the surrounding landscape.
Instead, the relationship with the outdoors shifts as you move through the house, with indirect light changing across the spaces throughout the day.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The kitchen takes a different approach.
It is the room that opens most completely toward the landscape, becoming a gathering point for the residents and their guests.
That openness also creates a more direct connection to the surrounding environment, making the kitchen less of a contained service space and more of a place where the interior and exterior meet.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
Material choices reinforce the connection to the setting.
The exposed timber structure was developed with a local carpenter, allowing the team to source a significant quantity of hemlock from a site adjacent to the project.
The same wood continues onto the north façade through the columns, fascias, and cladding.
Working with material available so close to the project reduced the distance between sourcing, fabrication, and construction while giving the structure a direct relationship to its surroundings.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
The house is also anchored directly on existing bedrock.
By avoiding blasting and significant excavation, the construction minimized major intervention into the terrain.
This is perhaps one of the clearest lessons from SONO: the landscape does not need to be corrected before architecture can take its place within it.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
SONO is ultimately less concerned with creating a recognizable architectural style than with responding to the specific conditions of its location.
The slope determines how the spaces unfold, the views shape what is revealed, and the available material informs how the structure is made.
The result is a house that doesn’t simply look toward its surroundings, but allows the landscape to influence the experience of moving through it.
Architecture by Atelier Carle // Photography by Félix Michaud
Atelier Carle is a Montreal-based architecture practice founded by Alain Carle, bringing together a collaborative team focused on the relationship between place, materiality, and construction.
Since its formation in 2023, the studio has continued the work developed by Carle over more than twenty-five years, approaching architecture through an exploration of the specific qualities of each site.
The firm’s projects bring together precise material work, varied construction techniques, and a sensitivity to landscape, treating the particularities of place as an integral part of the creative process.
CREDITS:
Architect – Atelier Carle
General Contractor – Metric Construction Inc.
Structural Engineer – VCMa Engineering consultants
Geotechnical Engineer – Ingénat Engineering consultants
Reclaimed Wood – Taylor Lukian
Windows – Shalwin
Photography – Félix Michaud
Source: V2com
The post Atelier Carle Shapes a Residence Around the Landscape in Wentworth-Nord appeared first on The Landscape Library.