Les Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle in Charlevoix region, Quebec by Mu Architecture

Article source: Mu Architecture

LES TERRASSES CAP-À-L’AIGLE – WHERE ARCHITECTURE AND NATURE CONNECT

The residential development project Les Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle was born from a passion for the great open spaces and natural beauty of the Charlevoix region in 2009. Florent Moser and Alain Rajotte, both entrepreneurs as well as ardent lovers of the region, have created a unique residential development project that unites nature and architecture to provide a haven of peace and rejuvenation for its future owners and tenants.

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• Architect: Mu Architecture
• Official name of the project: Les Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle
• Location: Charlevoix region, Quebec
• Client’s name: Florent Moser
• Project Manager: Florent Moser
• Entrepreneurs: Florent Moser et Alain Rajotte
• Surface area of the project : The lot size ranges are from 30 000 ft2 to 400 000 ft2. There are around 100 parcels of land.
• The project began in: 2009

With respect for the environment and the desire to harmonize with nature as the driving forces behind the project, the developers conceived modern, luxury homes that blend seamlessly into the landscape. This major residential development offers hillside lots with panoramic views, surrounding mature forest, privacy, tranquility, abundant natural light, and quality infrastructures. It is a two-phase project, with 60 and 40 lots respectively. Close to half of the lots in the first phase were sold in less than two years.

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“We have developed a concept that corresponds with our vision of the modern home. In our opinion, every house should be customized in such a way so as to satisfy the needs of the clients while perfectly integrating into its environment. As such, we wanted to create a haven of peace that puts nature at the forefront by playing with natural assets such as slope, sunshine, and panoramic view. Furthermore, our houses are designed by the architectural firm MU Architecture, who share our philosophy,” explains Florent Moser, developer and general contractor of the Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle project.

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Nature: A one-of-a-kind canvas

Located in the very heart of nature on a vast wooded hillside, houses in the Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle are veritable sanctuaries of rejuvenation. Their simple, minimalist design, in direct contrast with the surrounding wilderness, enhances the beauty of the physical landscape.

Architecturally speaking, the south-west orientation of the houses, in conjunction with their large, bay windows, maximizes the amount of sunshine for optimal energy efficiency as well as affords breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. In addition to harmonizing with nature, the green roofs serve as natural air conditioning by absorbing heat waves.

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A “made in Quebec” construction

The houses in the Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle project are truly “made in Quebec”. With a vast majority of the materials and labour utilized in their construction hailing from the four corners of the province, these houses showcase the superb quality of local workmanship and products. For example, all windows are made of Quebec aluminum assembled in Montreal by the firm Alumilex. The granite used in the Marée Basse kitchen design comes from the Eastern Townships, while the bathroom vanities are made of Laurentian concrete. The Phare residence features machined steel from La Malbaie throughout, including the kitchen décor, the staircases and banisters, some furniture, the bathroom vanities and the central fireplace. Furthermore, the exterior siding of each house in this residential complex is made of wood from Quebec.

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A region of riches

Great lovers of the Charlevoix region granted World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, the two entrepreneurs wanted to build houses whose architecture would respect its history, traditions, and heritage. Located just one hour from Quebec City, the Charlevoix region is well-known for its abundance of diverse outdoor and recreational activities, summer and winter alike.

For winter enthusiasts, activities such as downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are but 15 minutes away at Mont-Grand-Fonds. In the summer, the paths in the Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie and Parc national des Grands-Jardins make for fantastic hiking. And not to forget, the beaches of St-Irénée and Cap-aux-Oies, the golf course at Le Manoir, regarded as one of Quebec’s most beautiful courses, as well as, the many fine restaurants in the region, complement the area’s outstanding leisure offering.

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About Les Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle

The Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle project began in 2009, when Florent Moser and Alain Rajotte fell in love with the Charlevoix region. Wanting to preserve this exceptional site, they chose MU Architecture, an architectural firm that specializes in contemporary design, to create residential plans for houses that would integrate beautifully into the surrounding natural landscape. Local material is used as much as possible. To date, ten plans have been completed and four houses have been built. The project offers lots ranging in size from 30 000 ft2 to 400 000 ft2. Close to 50% of the Phase 1 lots have already been sold.

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Local material

• The wood for the frames, beams, and trusses, as well as many other construction materials, come from the Charlevoix region;
• The houses’ exterior siding is made of Quebec wood, either machined white cedar from the Beauce or machined pine from the Laurentians. Red cedar from British Columbia was also used on the exterior of the Phare residence;
• The granite used in the kitchen of the Marée Basse residence comes from the town of Stanstead in the Eastern Townships;
• The bathroom vanities in the Marée Basse residence are made of concrete and are manufactured by a young carpenter from the Laurentians;
• The kitchen, the bathroom vanities, and the central fireplace in the Phare residence are made of steel and are manufactured by Usinages in La Malbaie;
• All of the residence kitchens were designed by Simard Cuisine, located in Saint-Tite-des-Caps;
• The high-quality windows found in each of the houses were produced by Alumilex in Montreal;
• The bathroom fixtures, shower doors, hardwood floors, blinds, railings, doors, and mouldings were all designed by Quebec companies.

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Summary of pratical information

• A two-phase residential project in the Charlevoix region with 60 and 40 lots respectively;
• The lots’ primary advantages are the view, nature, privacy, tranquility, natural light, slope, and quality infrastructures;
• The lot size ranges are from 30 000 ft2 to 400 000 ft2;
• Close to 50 % of Phase 1 lots have already been sold;
• Les Terrasses Cap-à-l’Aigle offers contemporary architecture that harmonizes with its natural surroundings and fulfills the needs of its clients;
• Eight architectural plans were drawn specifically for this project;
• The rental houses – La Plaisance, La Paroi, Le Phare, Le Fossile and Marée Basse are available throughout the year for weekend or weekly vacation rentals;
• The infrastructures were designed and built by experienced firms recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Transport for their service excellence.

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Tags: Charlevoix region, Québec

Category: Residential

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