Canadian studio ACDF Architecture has shared photos of their recent residential project in the country’s heavily-forested Lanaudière region.

Deep in the heart of rural Quebec, the home was designed for an urbanite family looking for an ultra-modern bucolic respite situated on a 250,000-square-foot plot with room to connect with each other and commune with nature.

The project was informed by the client’s deeply-felt connection to a childhood apple tree and relied on a relatively simple combination of glass and wood boxes that house different functions and are centered around a small open interior courtyard that showcases his arboreal inspiration. 

“The home is designed for connectivity, and glances in every direction provide views across openings to other spaces,” the studio's principal and co-founder Maxime-Alexis Frappier said. “That being said, the boxes were designed to respect the need for privacy, and their wall placements are intentional in their offerings of solitude.”

Per the architects: “Upon approaching the main entrance, layers of glass provide insight into the internal lobby. Across openings in the central part of the home, a covered porch at the rear frames external views of the forest. On the internal side of that covered porch, in the centre of the main structure, a small, wind-protected open courtyard showcases the family tree, which thrives in its natural setting.”

“The covered porch, with its wood stove and comfortable seating, was designed as a gathering space with an indoor/outdoor ambiance that is in tune with both its internal and external surroundings. Open on two sides, the covered porch is equipped with screens on descending rollers to ensure the best of both worlds, providing protection against insects and the elements. With the screens descended, the enclosed porch provides a feeling of being integrated with the home’s interior spaces.”

Positioning also came into play when it came to maximizing sun patterns in order to prevent heat loss and warm the home’s concrete floors during the winter. Open floor plates provide space for a generous kitchen and dining area. Finally, lighting from Montreal's Lambert et Fils combines with a blend of Italian and Quebecois furnishings, a French-made Focus fireplace, and alcove-hidden upright piano to give the design a stately and well-appointed élan.

“The beauty of a single tree inspired architecture that is focused on the fulfillment of human emotions,” Frappier said in summary. “The Apple Tree House is a proud example of our ability to establish deep connections with our natural environment, without needless sacrifice on either side of its blurred lines.”