DesignBuyBuild_16_2015

Spahaus and Trihaus:
Democratized Access To Contemporary Architecture In Nature.
On the banks of Lac Supérieur,
just 90 minutes north of
Montreal (Quebec), a mountain
that was once the property of a former
religious congregation now houses
a creative and innovative model for
integrating contemporary architecture in
a natural environment.
Located on the north side of the Mont-
Tremblant ski resort, in the Laurentians
touristic region, the Fraternité-sur-Lac
resort site values human experience
above all else. In 2012, its developers
entrusted Montreal studio YH2 with the
challenge of creating a series of modern
residences that would be integrated to the
natural environment – hence targeting a
new generation of homeowners who are
sensitive to design, architecture and new
standards with regards to interior and
exterior developments. This approach
marks a clear shift away from traditional
log lodges, the mythical Canadian
cabin or plywood-heavy alpine cottages
surrounded by boutiques.
By signing on to a real estate project for
the very first time, the YH2 team first
conceived Spahaus, which focuses on
horizontal housing, a marriage of wood
and concrete, panoramic vistas and an
outdoor spa. A series of Trihaus – a
big brother to Spahaus – then rapidly
followed, with its three-storey vertical
design overlooking a terrace, providing
owners with the feeling of living amidst
the trees. This cluster of secondary
homes aims to preserve the site’s natural
state, including the original trees, a
river and trails leading to Lac Supérieur
and the Club de la Pointe, an open-air
playground laid out on the shores of the
aforementioned lake, where motorized
vessels are forbidden.
Democratizing architecture
Since setting up shop in Montreal’s Little
Italy neighbourhood nearly 20 years
ago, Loukas Yiacouvakis and Marie-
Claude Hamelin have given life to many
distinctive residential and commercial
projects that have attracted attention both
in Canada and around the world. For
Yiacouvakis, his team’s utmost priority
is to democratize access to architecture.
“I believe it is in everyone’s best interest
to democratize the work we carry out,”
he explains. “We aim to deliver carefully
thought-out residences, but even more
importantly, to send out a clear message
that architecture doesn’t merely cater to a
privileged minority.”
Therefore, YH2 is always on the hunt
for the best playing surface in a natural
environment where it can integrate
projects that are inspiring, functional and
affordable. “I believe that a secondary
residence should allow for a deeprooted
connection with nature and the
surrounding landscapes, all the while
offering a living space wherein one feels
entirely comfortable with oneself and
with others,” Yiacouvakis points out.
The ready-to-live in the mountains
YH2 and Fraternité-sur-Lac’s concerted
vision translated into an approach
Yiacouvakis describes as “ready-to-live”,
comparable to the ready-to-wear lines
devised in the 1960s by haute couture
fashion houses.
058