Montreal-based Naturehumaine designed the two-storey residence, called Bolton Residence, for a rugged hillside in the municipality of Bolton East, near the Quebec-Vermont border. This rugged, sloped site came to a natural plateau just below its highest point, becoming the perfect location to erect the house.
This rural home consists of two stacked structures: the concrete block partially built into the slope contains the lower storey, while the upper floor is housed within a gabled block that is clad in ridged panels of charcoal-grey steel. The lower volume anchors the building to the hillside, while the larger upper floor overhangs it to provide shelter. A wooden terrace extends from the glazed gable of the upper level, providing a cover for a pine-clad log-shed and car-port located on the lower part of the slope. The house is characterized by two stacked volumes; a wooden clad volume anchored into the mountain supports a cantilevering ground floor volume above. This gable roofed volume raised into the air gives the sensation that the house is floating amongst the trees. Otherwise, the living room and bedroom on this floor have a monochrome palette, with grey slate floors, and a hearth and staircase made from blackened hot-rolled steel.
