Three beguiling structures in black-painted wood and red cedar rise up from the wetlands of Wentworth-Nord. Inspired by barns scattered across rural tracts in North America, the two main houses and the storage building play with the iconic peaked roof, carving into it and multiplying it in imaginative ways. A section of roof is excised here to create a semi-shaded terrace, and a wall of cladding is stripped away there for a majestic window wall. The 604-square-metre complex is connected by a black-painted wooden plateau, which serves as a collective space for the occupants.

Location: Wentworth-Nord, Quebec
Firm: Alain Carle Architecte, Montreal
Team: Alain Carle with Isaniel Lévesque, Jean-François Marceau and Cuong Tran