Maison-Jardin BEAU / Alexandre Bernier Architecte

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The architectural gesture explores the tension between the archetype of the mineral refuge and the lightness of a dwelling open to its environment. The dialogue between this raw materiality and the transparency of the garden-facing façade reveals an architecture that is both monolithic and porous. The whole is organized around the stacking of free and open floor plates. Freed from structural constraints, the façade allows natural light to penetrate deep into the space. The shifting shadows of foliage, cast throughout the day on the mineral wall, bring a discreet and contemplative poetry, giving the concrete's roughness an unexpected sensitivity.As a massive material, akin to mono-material stone houses, concrete promotes thermal inertia, passive heating, and heat storage. Complemented by a radiant floor system, it acts as a thermal battery. Its load-bearing capacity frees the façades from bracing, allowing for generous fenestration tailored to solar orientations.On the ground floor, the façade literally vanishes thanks to a large sliding door, merging the living space with the garden. A reflecting pool acts as a water mirror that amplifies the light. This liquid presence balances the building's density, introducing freshness and lightness.Textures, Finishes, and the Mass of Concrete -The surfaces are distinguished by a variety of concrete textures and finishes. The floors, in polished terrazzo, reveal selected aggregates exposed through scarification. The exposed concrete walls retain the imprint of the formwork ties, highlighting the constructive nature of the project. The kitchen work surfaces, including the 14-foot-long island with rounded corners, are also made of concrete.Decidedly contemporary, the BEAU Residence proposes a sensitive architecture of contrasts, where the weight of concrete is lightened through contact with the living. Through the use of material and an intimate relationship with vegetation, it offers a new way of inhabiting the city—between mass and transparency, permanence and flexibility, rigor and softness. A simple yet powerful gesture for a contextual, sustainable, and resolutely contemporary architecture.Text description provided by the architects.Located in the heart of St-Henri, a dense post-industrial residential neighborhood inMontreal, this single-family residence asserts itself discreetly through its vertical volume, raw materiality, and sensitive relationship to the garden.It stands out for its compact and rigorous form, constructed almost entirely of concrete, used for the structure, floors, ceilings, and interior finishes alike. This radical transformation of a typicalMontrealduplex challenges domestic space through a bold mono-material approach—a typology traditionally built in wood. The unconventional use of concrete in a Montreal home makes it a unique project.