Infusing Modern Architecture Into a 1970s Garage in Montreal
More than just a house.
In an agricultural stretch outside Frelighsburg in southern Quebec, a few kilometres from the Vermont border, Montrealer Simon Desmarais set out to create a place that would serve as not only a residence with a vegetable garden but also a work studio, workshop, and community centre.
The design brief was to transform a former 1970s automobile garage into a sustainable residence that would accommodate the owner’s values of hospitality and sharing. Atelier L’Abri, an architecture and construction firm, and Construction Modulor, both based in Montreal, carefully dismantled the envelope building, keeping the structure itself in place while replacing the outer walls with a robust skin better insulated against the climate. The new thick walls are filled with cellulose fibre insulation made from recycled paper. The house is expected to be certified LEED Platinum, the highest sustainability rating.
For all the technical rigour, the design doesn’t compromise on elegance and comfort. Dinesen wood floors give the house a warm grounding, while furniture from Ligne Roset, Frama, and Santa & Cole, and a Vipp kitchen bring a cosmopolitan sensibility to the interiors. These elements are interspersed with pieces from Montreal designers and manufacturers such as Clara Jorisch, Kastella, Atelier Vaste, Mark Krebs, Montauk Sofa, and Ema Ceramics.
More than a house, this project is an assemblage of structures set amidst a landscape designed by Écomestible, a Sherbrooke company that designs and installs ecological, edible, and regenerative landscapes. The garage has been transformed into a living space open to the community as a shared environment. A greenhouse allows for cultivation in what is a short growing season, while a new structure, the Melba Pavilion, supports the vegetable garden and provides a place for storage. Made with local hemlock, it, too, will be certified LEED Platinum and reflects the homeowner’s commitment to environmental stewardship and community well-being.
