In rural Quebec, an award-winning home flips typical residential design

Montréal-based YH2 has completed an award-winning residential scheme overlooking Lake Memphremagog in Québec's Potton region. Titled "Inhabited Topography: A Dialectic of Place," the project has received an Award of Excellence in Architecture from the Ordre des architectes du Québec in its 2026 awards programme.

The design of the scheme responds to a steep, wooded site that descends sharply to the lake, shaped by the terrain rather than imposing upon it. According to the design team, the house was conceived as an intervention that minimizes the scheme’s visual impact while strengthening the relationship between home and landscape.

The residence is composed of two interconnected volumes that emerge from the slope in a fragmented arrangement. Both are topped with dual-pitched roofs intended to reduce the perceived scale of the building while establishing a dialogue w...