Fahouse | Black Cottage with Steep Gabled Roofs

Fahouse is a three-storey black cottage with steep gabled roofs, situated on a gently sloping site in a hemlock forest in Quebec, Canada’s Eastern Townships. Totalling 1,900ft² (177m²), the cottage consists of two connected volumes clad in black corrugated steel. Created for a couple with two children, Fahouse was completed by Jean Verville Architecte in collaboration with Jessica Bouffette, Olivier Grenier and Martine Walsh in 2016.

Nestled in the privacy of a hemlock forest, FAHOUSE presents an amazing building that seems to emerge from a children’s story. Exploiting the contrasts between opacity and light, the architect Jean Verville develops a graphic assemblage, which rises like two giant conifers, intensifying the dreamlike aspect of this architectural proposal. Derived from the archetypal figure of the house, the double triangular prism perfectly illustrates childhood characterizing the whole development of this project.

The architectural deployment of the staircase articulates the ground floor while governing the access parade to the perched areas of the two houses. The first, the toddlers’, nestled in the enchanted forest, displays a large bunk bed welcoming friends to share fantastic nights. A few stairs jump leads to the second, the parents’ house, which looks like a beehive composed of a succession of cells each offering a distinctive ritual. In a surprising mirror effect, the bedroom doubles as a bathroom offering two simple and soothing volumes suspended between earth and sky. In contrast, the graphic display of the impressive family shower room promises a different experience for daily ablutions. The upper floor evokes the lair of the whale to brighten the imagination and allow for a colorful world of unbelievable adventures.

— Jean Verville Architecte

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