The renovation of Sutton Home in Sutton, Québec by Pelletier de Fontenay doesn’t simply protect historical past – it transmutes it via its apply of white cementitious coating, turning what was as soon as a disparate assortment of additives right into a unified sculptural presence within the panorama. Quite than following the standard preservation playbook of emphasizing materials contrasts between venerable and fresh, the architects developed customized white mineral finishes that unify the constructing’s a number of iterations whereas permitting the underlying textures to stay legible. This strategy creates a palimpsest impact – the place, like an age-old manuscript that has been written over, the unique textual content nonetheless reveals via.
The choice to apply hemp insulation – a bio-sourced materials identified for its breathability and humidity management – represents a wedding of conventional constructing strategies with modern environmental consciousness. This strategy extends to the inside, the place a sconce fabricated from repurposed timber from the unique construction serves as each useful lighting and a testomony to the constructing’s historical past. The addition’s deep partitions and chunky roof echo the primitive heaviness of the unique construction, whereas three distinct blocks body views of the panorama.
The home employs passive methods that might have been acquainted to the unique builders – thermal mass, pure air flow, photo voltaic orientation – however updates them with modern expertise. The limestone flooring sourced from native quarries serves twin functions – it connects the constructing to its regional context whereas appearing as thermal mass for passive photo voltaic heating.
The designers broaden by saying: “The stepped configuration of the bottom flooring additionally helped decrease the constructing’s general footprint, whereas making a pure airflow between the areas in the direction of the higher stage. In the summertime, this helps to naturally ventilate the frequent areas, whereas in winter, the sultry air is captured and redistributed via the home through the high-efficiency warmth restoration mechanical system.”
