RENOVATION Sutton Home within the sutton, québec of Pelletier de Fontenay It doesn’t solely retain historical past – it transmits it by its use of white cement protection, reworking what was as soon as a disparate assortment of additives right into a unified sculptural presence within the panorama. As a substitute of watching the traditional preservation guide to emphasise the fabric contrasts between outdated and new, the architects have developed customized white mineral finishes that unify the a number of iterations of the constructing, whereas permitting the underlying texture to stay legible. This method creates a palimpsest impact – the place, as an historic manuscript that has been written, the unique textual content nonetheless appears to be like.
The choice to make use of the hemp insulation-a bio-pronounced materials identified for the breathability and management of its humidity-represents a wedding of the standard development strategies with the modern consciousness of the atmosphere. This method extends inside, the place a sconce produced from the again of the preliminary construction serves each as a purposeful lighting and as a proof of the historical past of the constructing. The deep partitions of the addition and the thick roof echo the primitive weight of the preliminary construction, whereas three distinct imaginative and prescient blocks throughout the panorama.
The home makes use of passive methods that may have been acquainted to the unique builders – thermal mass, pure air flow, photo voltaic orientation – however updates them with modern expertise. The limestone ground from native quarries serves for double functions – connects the constructing to its regional context, performing as a thermal mass for passive photo voltaic heating.
The designers prolong, saying: “The bottom ground configuration additionally helped to lower the final fingerprint of the constructing, whereas making a pure air stream between areas to the higher degree. In summer season, this helps to naturally ventilate frequent areas, whereas in winter, the new air is captured and redistributed by the home by the mechanical system of excessive effectivity warmth. “
Photograph by James Brittain.
