by arslan_ahmed | August 23, 2023 12:05 pm
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ADHOC Architectes (ADHOC) led the restoration of a nearly two-century-old farmhouse annex in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, which was originally constructed by the area’s first Loyalist immigrants. Throughout the process, ADHOC remained dedicated to the site’s historical significance.
The Denison family were the original Loyalists from Connecticut. They thrived as farmers and millers, contributing to the community’s growth with a school, store, post office, and chapel. Today, only four structures remain from that era, including the flour mill and an Anglican chapel.
The project, situated near the historic flour mill, involves the renovation of a stone house built in 1831. The new owners, a couple passionate about history and literature, desired a contemporary renovation while respecting the heritage. ADHOC worked on expanding the space, transforming it into a library, office, garage, and future dormitory.
The restoration aimed to preserve the history while embracing sustainability. In doing so, the architects reinforced the structure with salvaged hemlock beams. Hemp wool, an ecological material produced locally in the Val-des-Sources municipality, was chosen as insulation. For the roof, the architects chose sheet metal for its durability.
The architecture sought to bridge the past and present, creating openings for natural light and views of the landscape, while maintaining the harmony of the historical and contemporary elements. The gradual addition of annex buildings to the stone house created a patchwork of architectural volumes, which progressively split the 33.6-ha (83-acre) site into two distinct parts. To reconnect the new residents with the surrounding landscape, the architects created openings to integrate large windows on either side of the building.
The volumes of the residence subtly express the contrast of the eras to which they belong. For the exterior cladding of the annex, the architects used cedar shingles and clapboard painted white. The roof of the annex features a metallic material in gray steel with a beaded sheet metal effect, and a black awning for the transition space between the houses. The result creates a harmonious palette of materials and colors on the site.
The annex has always been connected to the stone house, even if its placement is not perfectly perpendicular. The architect reworked the space, connecting the two volumes, maintaining the existing openings in the 0.91-m (3-ft)-wide walls of the Denison House. An exterior entrance was also repositioned to consolidate the space.
On the ground floor, this connecting space has been redesigned as an entrance vestibule, separating the existing spaces of the house and the new contemporary spaces created in the annex. The architects considered the interplay of heights and chose materials to create a harmonious transition. For example, the slate floor in the entrance vestibule is a historic nod to the old quarries of Shipton Township, as well as to the house’s exterior cladding.
The renovation of the building results in a new living space transformed into a place dedicated to literature, which consists of a modular winter reading room, as well as an office overlooking the space.
The first stages of the intervention consisted rectifying the building, which had sagged over time by reuse and reinforcement. The use of the full height of the cathedral ceiling helps to add volume and diffuse light throughout the room. The application of a mixture of sober, natural materials, with wood chosen in neutral tones, gives a harmonious, contemporary yet timeless character to the room. The millwork installed along the walls, veneered in local white oak wood, are done in the book match style of the 1970s, and are contrasted by a polished concrete slab. Upstairs, the ceiling is made of wooden laths, painted white, and is supported by exposed beams to add a more rustic touch.
Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/quebecs-loyalist-farmhouse-restoration-embraces-modernity/
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