La Tour de Bébelles: Low impact design
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 8.05
How do you tread lightly on the land but build a place for your family? Andre Lessard and Barbara Dewhirst designed their retreat to minimize impact on the lake and on the landscape. It is set far enough back that it can barely be seen, and every piece of it weighed less than 25 pounds and was carried in. It's like a giant Meccano set-just bring it in and bolt it together. It's triangular to have one less footing than a square plan, 450 square feet per floor, yet feels open and huge. It is truly minimalist, designed to use as little building material as possible.
we quote Canadian Architect:
The design was also intended to emulate a treehouse, and perched on its steel stilts, the building clearly evokes this source of inspiration. The living spaces are on two levels, each a compact 450 square feet. A gangplank leads to the first floor, which houses bedrooms and a bathroom, whose composting toilet negated the installation of a more environmentally intrusive septic tank. The second floor, accessed by a compact, space-saving steel stair, accommodates kitchen, dining and living spaces. The open plan allows for maximum flexibility and generous views of the lake and surrounding forest. Beneath the cottage, nestled between the steel supports and rocky outcroppings, a large deck provides a direct relationship to the wooded surroundings.
The exterior is finished in fibre cement board and dark-stained tongue and groove pine siding, blending in with the bark of surrounding tree trunks. Inside, warm wood finishes complement the crisp black-painted steel.
::Architects Barbara Dewhirst André Lessard
That's surprisingly lovely. In an age where most recreatioinal home design starts with a buying trip to home depot, its refreshing to see an approach like this.
Absolutely lovely.
Shame all the pics I can find of it are far, far too small.
Screaming ou for large pix!
How much would this kind of house cost?
Seems to me like the triangular shape just makes less volume and less space for the amount of exterior wall, making heating harder (less efficient) and use more material than a relatively square house. Triangles sure are nice, but they're more art than practical (for a permanent residence).
Gorgeous!
The house looks great,however I've found myself pondering after looking at this house (and lots of "green retreats" in Dwell) whether building a second house for your family to spend their vacations somewhere in the woods isn't sort of the height of ungreen consumption. Well, I guess if people are going to do it anyway I'd rather have it green.