House MN
House MN is a minimal home located in Val-Morin, Canada, designed by Julia Manaças Architecte in collaboration with oyama. The initial design concept, a typical rectangular plan with a hip roof, underwent methodical transformation through a series of operations. The volume was split, rotated, and scaled, gradually adapting to the site’s constraints. The resulting twin structures are positioned towards the high point of the lot, nestled into the rocky terrain to the east and framing dramatic views to the northwest. A fully glazed passage bridges the two volumes, creating a moment of transparency through the house that is visible both upon approaching the main entrance and while circulating within the home.
The smaller volume houses a spacious kitchen that opens onto an all-wood cantilevered structure, protecting a south-facing terrace. A perforated wood screen conceals the stairway leading to a painting studio and a seasonal greenhouse. The larger volume contains the remaining communal spaces on the ground floor, with bedrooms and the main bathroom located below in a walk-out basement partially carved into the hill. The second floor includes a spare bedroom and an open mezzanine, providing additional play space for the couple’s two young children. Cathedral ceilings and multiple skylights ensure that natural light floods the upper floors and filters down to the living spaces.