Architects: NatureHumaine
Location: Coleraine St, Montreal, Canada
Area: 3,135 sqft
Year: 2013
Photographs: Adrien Williams
![© Adrien Williams](http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/534c5a3dc07a8073b400011d_coleraine-duplex-naturehumaine_coloraine-0011-530x795.jpg)
From the architect. This project was completed for a developer/home builder at the intersection between Coleraine Street and a laneway in Montreal’s Point St-Charles neighborhood.
![© Adrien Williams](http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/534c5a2fc07a80f351000163_coleraine-duplex-naturehumaine_coloraine-0010-530x353.jpg)
The basic program for this project required 2 row-homes on an 8.7m wide lot. After accounting for setbacks and other constraints, traditional planning approaches would have resulted in 2 long narrow houses, which severely lacked natural light. Our solution was to intertwine both units in a zigzag fashion, maximizing on natural light, and creating dynamic angular spaces. The two units intersect at the top floor to create an intimate space for a master bedroom, an office, and a terrace in each unit. This design was reinforced by the site’s footprint, which has a 75-degree angle at the intersection between the street and the laneway and further inspired the creation of angular forms and oblique perspective lines within the interior.
![Ground Floor Plan](http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/534c5b66c07a80056100010c_coleraine-duplex-naturehumaine_ground-530x353.png)
The building is composed of a brick base, which relates to the neighborhoods vernacular, and is topped with a contemporary angular volume clad in steel that cantilevers over the base. The minimalist interiors each have a double height space with a suspended wood platform. The stair, wrapped in a black expanded-steel handrail, ascends to the master bedroom where a reading nook bathes in natural sunlight.
![© Adrien Williams](http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/534c58ebc07a800561000105_coleraine-duplex-naturehumaine_coloraine-0001-530x795.jpg)
Coleraine Duplex / NatureHumaine originally appeared on ArchDaily, the most visited architecture website on 16 Apr 2014.
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