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With this house we wanted to make an ecological case for a rural house being a product of its site. As its name suggests, the Virgin Vineyard House embodies a connection to the agricultural land it occupies. The meeting of stone and wood are the hallmark of agricultural architecture in Quebec since both woods and stones were cleared before the fields could be sowed. These connections still exist in Quebec; local masons, and carpenters are exceptional and the timber industry is a world leader.
Situated between an old farm road and a working hillside vineyard, the Virgin Vineyard house takes its name from a farm whose ruins once stood above the site. The client was interested in building a new residence on this land, with minimal disturbance to the vineyard while capturing the views of the site overlooking Lake Massawippi in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The new building will house her with aging in place needs as well as her daughter’s growing family for frequent stays. The lumber, hemlock cladding, stone and even the high performance glazing systems were all local to Quebec. Foremost in our minds was this connection to the location through materials and craft, but also the traditional forms of Quebec’s architecture.
The vernacular aspects of the form: large eaves, thick walls and a relatively opaque north, east and west facade, are also part of a sustainability approach that includes high performance envelope design and geothermal heating and cooling. The continuous stone wall accommodates for various conditions, exterior, unconditioned interior, and fully insulated interior. The owner is currently working with a local horticulturalist to plant indigenous flora to support the natural habitat of the site.
The design of the project takes inspiration from the prevalence of fieldstone walls in the local agricultural landscape. Gathered stones separate the house from the road and ultimately comprise the north wall of the building. The architectural element is but a secondary feature clipped on to this stone wall, sheltering the living spaces from the road, the north wind, and discreetly tucked into the hillside. The length of the wall enacts the sequence through the house, punctuated as it is by compositional events of window, chimney, entry and courtyard. The southside of this long linear residence is open to lake and vineyard views under a large protective overhang. This 155’ long house conveniently organizes the private bedrooms at either end while the central gathering spaces convene in the middle of the linear house. The walls dividing each room are deliberately rotated ten degrees to face the lake view. This simple geometrical twist creates an oblique relationship of the rooms to the roof ridge line, making each room feel like a private shed, each with its unique volume directed towards the lake. In plan, the rooms are arranged in a sawtooth formation, creating recesses of semi private space under the large roof overhang to contemplate the view. Within this seemingly simple building are two large voids, one a courtyard framing the angle of the old farm road, and the other a roof deck overlooking the entirety of the vineyard.
“Living in this home for some time now, I’ve realized the presence of the forest has become as important to me as the views of the lake,” the client says. “This is a place that feels good, whether I am here alone or with my family. While it can be very intimate, it’s also great for parties.” - interviewed for AZURE by Odile Hénault
LAMAS was founded by Vivian Lee and James Macgillivray and now also consists of Kara Verbeek (senior partner), Tiffany Wong and Ryan Fanseda. We are an award winning architecture studio registered in the United States and Canada. We have worked in a range of scales, from ground-up residential houses to manufacturing and commercial spaces. We are practitioners and academics, equally invested in pragmatics and discursive research. Together with our energetic staff, we explore ornament, color, optical illusions, and craft traditions with advanced technology.
LAMAS was named one of the 50 Best Architecture Firms by Domus Magazine in 2020 and featured in “Next Progressives” by Architect Magazine in 2017.LAMAS has won several awards from AR House, Architizer, Architect’s Newspaper, FRAME, Architecture Masterprize and Dezeen. We were also a 2014 finalist for MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program.
