by arslan_ahmed | April 18, 2023 4:31 pm
The specified slider does not exist.
The CAPO project, a residence located near Baie Saint-Paul, in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, roots itself in the property’s specific attribute: a rocky cliff, dangerous, and at the limits of habitability.
The design solution capitalized on the opportunity provided by the unique landscape of the oblique site. This meant the typical layout of rooms or areas expected in residences, to be used for specific purposes, had to be foregone. Instead, the pre-existing organic path of circulation led the designer, Alain Carle, principal of AtelierCarle, to favour the conceptual logic of pathways, rather than an arrangement of rooms derived from programmatic components.
The anchoring of spaces is done all along this layout, favouring the constant movement of the user from one level to another, according to a succession of stairs. These are deployed in various sequences, in multiple orientations, to refine the quality of the journey within the interior and exterior. Movement is thus central, both in its presence in the design of the project and in the diversification of the points of view it provides.
The stairways, according to their amplitude, make it possible to reach the different landings of the site and create a subtle distinction between the adjacent decompartmentalized spaces. By insisting on the route, rather than the program, the project settles into the unstable nature of living with a body that is always in motion, thus steering away from spatial planning according to programmatic layout conventions.
The project is fragmented into living areas of varied shapes and orientations, maintaining a certain reciprocity with the surrounding ground, while positioning the large panoramic view of the St. Lawrence River as one of the points of interest of the property. The terrace overlooking the river is complemented by other outdoor spaces with direct access from the interior. This allows for a diversification of the sensorial experience of the site, making it heterogeneous and enriching the continuous relationship of the occupants with the immediate environment, even while perched on a dangerous landscape.
The logic of the project’s circulation unfolds from the top of the site, where the main access is located, characterized by a loggia opening onto the river. This loggia allows one to cross the building to access the terraces facing the river, without necessarily entering the building. Further down, at the end of the staircase and exterior terraces, a final space opens onto a natural plateau, surrounded by the cliff and its large century-old pines. This space connects to the end of the pre-existing natural path along the site and constitutes the end of the appropriable domain of the cliff. The overall concept of the project resembles a succession of small hills cascading down the cliff, also paying homage to the organic nature of the coastal region’s rural constructions of the last century, which are superimposed on the rustic landscape.
Constructed by the owners according to the self-build method, the residence was built slowly, over a long period of time, leaving room for a great deal of design flexibility by consciously integrating them into the process. This allowed the owners to question their way of life and to relativize several stereotypes of living.
The implementation of the project on the site was done progressively and delicately, thanks to the use of insulating formworks that allowed a sequence of successive pours. Given the difficulty of appropriating this site where no trees could be cut down, the construction technique ensured the landscape characteristics were maintained immediately after construction, and over time.
This robust construction method allowed the use of stone masonry to anchor the architectural expression to the rocky quality of the property. Assembled in a rustic manner, the format and type of assembly were chosen to meet the site’s installation constraints, a relatively malleable module in the precarious context.
Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/residential-design-solution-finds-opportunity-in-constraints-of-perilous-site/
Copyright ©2025 Construction Canada unless otherwise noted.