Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine

Alexandra Residence is a Live/work house designed by Naturehumaine and is located in Alexandra Ave, Montreal, Canada. It was completed in 2013 and covers an area of 3300 sqft.

Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 01

Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 02 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 03

Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 04 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 05 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 06 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 07 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 08 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 09 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 10 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 11 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 12 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 13 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 14 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 15 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 16 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 17 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 18 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 19 Alexandra Residence by Naturehumaine 20

The client’s priority was to maximize the natural light in their new live/work house in Montreal’s Mile-Ex district. This was made challenging by the east-west orientation of the infill lot. However, our design fills even the core of the house with light through the implementation of a 2 storey light-well which runs the length of the southern side of the house. Additional light is reflected into this light-well by the client’s office space – a white volume that sits atop the northern edge light-well. Spaces on the second storey also benefit from the light well’s luminosity; the walls adjacent to it are fully glazed and a floor to ceiling piece of frosted glass brings a very soft light into the bathroom.
The expressive back facade of the house is defined by the angular geometry of the floating steel box. The front facade, however, is composed primarily of bricks to conform with the heritage character of the neighbourhood. Two disjuncted apertures break up the brick façade and are lined in aluminum. As only one side of the brick was glazed, a random mix of forward and backward facing bricks were laid to create a more dynamic façade.
Photo credit: Adrien Williams