Peace is a rustic retreat located on a wooded and sloping terrain near the summit of Le Maelström Mountain in Lac-Beauport. Serving as both the starting and ending point for several hiking trails developed directly on the vast site, it is the ideal refuge for outdoor enthusiasts.
The project revolves around the meeting of two volumes with complementary functions. The first, a metal volume clad in eastern townshipper tiles, rises over three levels to house the interior spaces, along with a rooftop terrace with a spa. Its profile adapts to the site’s natural slope, forming a parallelogram shape that, with its generous parapets, shields the spa from wind and prying eyes. The second volume, a large wooden bleachers covered in open-jointed cedar slats, emerges from the ground and extends southeastward like an observatory, offering panoramic views of the mountainous landscape and the distant river. This giant stair set not only provides access to the various levels of the metal volume but also casts shade over the interior spaces while offering numerous gathering, exercise, and contemplation areas for visitors.
Upon arrival, one first passes beneath the wooden volume to enter the rustic retreat or access the bleachers and forest trails. On the ground floor, the more intimate spaces of the bedrooms are separated by the bathroom. The ceiling’s open-jointed cedar covering extends visually, creating a seamless connection between the interior and the exterior. On the upper floor, the living spaces are accessible from the inside via a ladder and from the outside via the stairs of the bleachers. Enveloping the metal volume, the wooden structure reveals, on one side, a balcony offering magnificent, unobstructed views, and on the other, the bleachers overlooking the dense forest.
Technical sheet
Area : 516 pica. (54 mc.)
Team project : Guillaume Fafard et Gabriel Lemelin
Contractor : Nomad Construction
Engineer : MA-TH Solutions d’ingénierie
Project completion date : 2024
Photographer : Adrien Williams
About Quinzhee
Founded in 2013, the Quinzhee firm is in the image of this typical dwelling: playful, ecological, and Nordic. Through its mandates, the firm aims to raise its clients' architectural and ecological awareness by integrating them into the creative process of their projects. For Quinzhee, communication and the sharing of ideas are essential and represent the foundations of an innovative, quality project. By getting all parties involved to think about the building's occupancy and the environment in which it will be set, the firm can properly assess the range of possibilities offered by the project, and then target the most promising solution.
Driven by an insatiable thirst for creation, Quinzhee offers a diversified field of expertise, collaborating on projects of all scales: from architecture to urban planning, from furniture design to ski manufacturing. The firm believes that combining disciplines is essential to nourishing one's passion for creation.
Whether it be a house, a commercial space, an ephemeral installation, or even a piece of furniture, Quinzhee puts all its creativity at the service of its customers and their objectives. From the firm's headquarters in Quebec City's Saint-Sauveur district, they extend their playground far beyond the Quebec Metropolitan Community, with just one prerequisite: to have fun designing projects differently.
