Palissade by naturehumaine [architecture+design]

Architecture studio naturehumaine has completed an intentionally opaque masonry-walled house in Austin, Canada, featuring a skylight and large windows that were strategically positioned to increase natural daylight within the interior. Palissade, which was designed and finished in 2024, has a gabled roof with a skylight illuminating its airy interiors, decorated with tactile materials and textures.

Modern, two-story home with angled roof, glass walls, and exterior balcony overlooking trees.

naturehumaine Designs Palissade for Dense Urban Environments

Architecture studio naturehumaine has completed an intentionally opaque masonry-walled house in Austin, Canada, featuring a skylight and large windows that were strategically positioned to increase natural daylight within the interior.

Palissade, which was designed and finished in 2024, has a gabled roof with a skylight illuminating its airy interiors, decorated with tactile materials and textures. According to naturehumaine, the exterior is a defensive-looking structure that helps to mitigate overcrowding and flooding on site.

Spacious modern living room with wooden ceiling, concrete fireplace, and large windows.

Palissade Takes Advantage of the Panoramic Views

Palissade features two walls that take up opposing sides of the house, with the front as “a rather opaque and massive construction” while the rear takes in panoramic views and is “integrated into the lakeside landscape.”

The third and fourth walls are dense, working as acoustic barriers.

A diagonal wall was built to structurally divide the garden and street levels without cutting off the views, while a skylight cut into the roof “ensures that the living spaces opening onto it would remain luminous,” with the windows elevated.

“The walls became particularly thick at ground level where the house was initially conceived as a ribbon window to bring light,” naturehumaine founder Marc-André Plasse told us. “For urban micro development high-density projects, because of the size of the lots as well as the need to use all the available area, resulted in sites in densely populated neighbourhoods having no free space around the houses.”

Warm-toned wood ceilings, modern furniture, and abstract artwork in a cozy living space.

“One of our strategies was to take advantage of the view” and “create thick, opaque window cuts, to consider the opposing conditions – busy street or visual proximity of neighbours – as well as external views,” he said.

The code called for inundation buffers, resulting in the need to build the house closer to the road, with many layers of materials on the exterior elevations.

Sleek modern kitchen with white stone countertops, wood paneled walls, and minimalist cabinetry.
A large canopy helps to keep the open apertures dry in the rain, and an automatic fold-up door seamlessly leads outside without exposing the interior or the user to rain.

“There are systems around the entire perimeter of the house that capture and reroute rain water,” Plasse said.

Cozy lakeside living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, wood-paneled walls, and a built-in bookshelf.

Masonry Walls Staying Lean Without the Use of Conventional Trim

“This really helps to manage the water despite the large surface of the roof,” he said, adding that the wood trim connects to “a pool of gravel surrounding the house, where the water is filtered before heading to the lake.”

Staggered fenestration allows the walls to stay lean “without adding all of the conventional trim elements inside the wall,” he added. Horizontal bands of glazing also add “dynamism” to otherwise heavy masonry walls by dissolving into the concrete.

Warm wooden ceiling, concrete fireplace, and expansive glass doors leading to outdoor terrace.

A small garage shaped like a cantilever sits on the front side of the house, which is connected to a paved street and road. The main floor has glazed windows and an unobstructed underground area including several bedrooms and a small sitting room, where a leather chair faces the windows.

Living spaces permeate the main floor, lending it a sleek, clutter-free appearance with an emphasis on openness.

The long dining table sits between a rectangular kitchen and an outdoor terrace. A functional outdoor cooking area is found here, relating to the kitchen inside with both spaces oriented towards the sunset, separated by brick walls.

“From the interior of the house, when looking at the lake, the perception is the same,” he said, adding that the glazing “floats” above the water.

Sleek, modern bathroom with geometric tiles, floating vanity, and freestanding tub.
The bedroom is visual comfortable, segregated from the view but adjacent to the sun-drenched outdoor areas .

On the inside, the house is treated with natural materials, including copper-framed windows, wood veneer for the walls and fabric accents. To break away from white, common in contemporary architecture, stained wood panelling was used for the ceilings, “infusing a calm atmosphere into the interiors”, Plasse said.

A large fireplace separates the living room from the main bedroom, which has a glass corner window facing Mount Orford.

“The quality of a material is determined by how tactfully it is integrated into an interior,” Plasse said. “It’s important to a degree of value in the way it is outfitted.”

Wood furnishings that can be changed out also make up the interior of the house. Earth-toned furniture, lighting and artwork match the heavy brick walls outside. Outdoor material is echoed inside, particularly taupe tones.

“It adds a more crafted dimension,” Plasse explained. “We believe the timelessness, which is also the mandate from our client, comes from the mixture of noble materials – a balance.”

“It creates a whole ecosystem that makes for beautiful work.”

Minimalist concrete porch with wooden ceiling and metal chairs overlooking trees.
A previous project by naturehumaine features a sawtooth roof and rippled facade and is clad in corrugated metal sheets.
A modern brick building with a slanted roof, decorative exterior, and an ornamental gate.
A contemporary brick building with a balcony overlooking a lake and fall foliage.
Modern architectural design featuring clean lines, brick exterior, and large windows overlooking a lake.
Contemporary home with large windows, covered balcony, and warm interior lighting.
A lakeside building with a metal roof, surrounded by vibrant fall foliage.

Photography by Raphaël Thibodeau
Visit naturehumaine [architecture+design]

- by Matt Watts

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