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DesignBuyBuild_16_2015

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Spahaus and Trihaus:<br />

Democratized Access To Contemporary Architecture In Nature.<br />

On the banks of Lac Supérieur,<br />

just 90 minutes north of<br />

Montreal (Quebec), a mountain<br />

that was once the property of a former<br />

religious congregation now houses<br />

a creative and innovative model for<br />

integrating contemporary architecture in<br />

a natural environment.<br />

Located on the north side of the Mont-<br />

Tremblant ski resort, in the Laurentians<br />

touristic region, the Fraternité-sur-Lac<br />

resort site values human experience<br />

above all else. In 2012, its developers<br />

entrusted Montreal studio YH2 with the<br />

challenge of creating a series of modern<br />

residences that would be integrated to the<br />

natural environment – hence targeting a<br />

new generation of homeowners who are<br />

sensitive to design, architecture and new<br />

standards with regards to interior and<br />

exterior developments. This approach<br />

marks a clear shift away from traditional<br />

log lodges, the mythical Canadian<br />

cabin or plywood-heavy alpine cottages<br />

surrounded by boutiques.<br />

By signing on to a real estate project for<br />

the very first time, the YH2 team first<br />

conceived Spahaus, which focuses on<br />

horizontal housing, a marriage of wood<br />

and concrete, panoramic vistas and an<br />

outdoor spa. A series of Trihaus – a<br />

big brother to Spahaus – then rapidly<br />

followed, with its three-storey vertical<br />

design overlooking a terrace, providing<br />

owners with the feeling of living amidst<br />

the trees. This cluster of secondary<br />

homes aims to preserve the site’s natural<br />

state, including the original trees, a<br />

river and trails leading to Lac Supérieur<br />

and the Club de la Pointe, an open-air<br />

playground laid out on the shores of the<br />

aforementioned lake, where motorized<br />

vessels are forbidden.<br />

Democratizing architecture<br />

Since setting up shop in Montreal’s Little<br />

Italy neighbourhood nearly 20 years<br />

ago, Loukas Yiacouvakis and Marie-<br />

Claude Hamelin have given life to many<br />

distinctive residential and commercial<br />

projects that have attracted attention both<br />

in Canada and around the world. For<br />

Yiacouvakis, his team’s utmost priority<br />

is to democratize access to architecture.<br />

“I believe it is in everyone’s best interest<br />

to democratize the work we carry out,”<br />

he explains. “We aim to deliver carefully<br />

thought-out residences, but even more<br />

importantly, to send out a clear message<br />

that architecture doesn’t merely cater to a<br />

privileged minority.”<br />

Therefore, YH2 is always on the hunt<br />

for the best playing surface in a natural<br />

environment where it can integrate<br />

projects that are inspiring, functional and<br />

affordable. “I believe that a secondary<br />

residence should allow for a deeprooted<br />

connection with nature and the<br />

surrounding landscapes, all the while<br />

offering a living space wherein one feels<br />

entirely comfortable with oneself and<br />

with others,” Yiacouvakis points out.<br />

The ready-to-live in the mountains<br />

YH2 and Fraternité-sur-Lac’s concerted<br />

vision translated into an approach<br />

Yiacouvakis describes as “ready-to-live”,<br />

comparable to the ready-to-wear lines<br />

devised in the 1960s by haute couture<br />

fashion houses.<br />

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