Saltbox Passive House

Saltbox Passive House, 2020, Bromont, QC

TypeHome

LocationBromont, QC

Year2020

TeamFrancis M Labrecque, Jérôme Codère, Vincent Pasquier, Antoine Mathys

Construction Construction Rocket

Certification LEED Platinum, PHIUS 2018+

PhotosRaphaël Thibodeau

The Saltbox Passive House is a primary residence designed for a family of four and built on the southern flank of Mont Gale in Bromont, in the Eastern Townships. With its “L” layout and the combination of two types of roof slopes, the house borrows its silhouette from the vocabulary of rural Saltbox-type buildings which sprang up in 17th century New England and which still pepper the countryside of the Eastern Townships.

The house faces south to favour passive solar heating and panoramic views over the valley. The construction on three levels is nestled into the mountain to minimize the visibility of the retaining walls. By building the rear part of the ground floor at garden level, and by opting for a roof slope that mirrors the land, the house echoes the topography of the location while remaining discreet from the street, revealing itself only once visitors are on the driveway. The third and lowest level houses a garage which also serves as a workshop and remains hidden until the final approach.The building materials are simple and durable: the retaining walls are constructed of excavated stone, the main cladding is wood and the entrance section is burnt cedar.

The high-performance house, built with a double-stud structure, achieved LEED Platinum and PHIUS 2018+ certifications, making it the third house to obtain passive house certification in Quebec. As an answer to the climate crisis and because this type of building is still little known in Quebec, we spent two years documenting the design and construction process of the Saltbox passive house. We created a short web series to help demystify green building to the public, and also to share our personal experience with architecture and construction professionals.