The pavilions are designed to capture the diverse experiences of inhabiting a forest, creating an emotional attachment through the adoption of the forest as a home. The architectural interventions are positioned in order to bring together the larger family, while respecting the privacy and natural evolution of each smaller part of this same family. The resulting autonomous pavilions offer great privacy, making them an ideal place for guests. 

The two existing structures that were kept intact as part of the urban plan include the Haddad Pavilion, the family’s existing residence, and the Henry Pavilion, a traditional Quebecois cottage built in the 1980s. To those two buildings, the master plan adds three new structures, creating anchor points, while encouraging a dialogue between the old and the new.

With large windows at either end of its living space and a dramatic skylight in the roof, the Elias family house, the first new addition, functions as a sort of cathedral honoring the surrounding forest and the sky. Its long and tall silhouette gives residents both light and space.

The second addition is composed of three Tree Houses, designed for travelers who want to be immersed in nature. The living space is within the main structure, and it offers a cooking area, bathroom and two bunkbeds, while the two additional tree houses are home to the sleeping quarters. In this vast forest, each structure represents a tree that effortlessly blends into its natural environment. 

The Tree Houses were conceived as living testaments to the transformation of wood. Over time wood cracks, twists and changes, showing that each piece of wood is unique. Similarly, each Tree House has its cracks, resulting in its own identity. The main, 49-square-meter pavilion has a much bigger crack going through it, from one corner to the other. The crack avoids the middle, the wood’s heart, preserving it and allowing for a cozy and comfortable space under the trees. Around this heart, and following the crack, a thick layer of bark surrounds the tree house, offering it protection and separation from the outside world. The only place to look out, is up, through the crack.

The second Tree House is a 20-square-meter love nest, a private room with a king-sized bed rising two meters in height, while the third and smallest Tree House covers nine square meters and functions as a sort of observation deck within nature due to its advantageous setting at three meters above ground. 

Much like the Tree Houses capture the experience of living among towering nature, the Miniature House represents life at ground level, where the sky is far away and tree trunks reign supreme. To emphasize this effect, two slabs squeeze the underwood into one space: one slab for the ground and another one for the roof, replacing the tree canopy. Trees randomly scattered, piercing through each slab, bring natural light in this darker environment. At the end of the two slabs, in a corner, is located one of the main miniature houses. The cave-like, main miniature pavilion houses the living quarters with the kitchen, living room and bathroom, with natural light coming in through narrow openings. Two more miniature houses, where the sleeping quarters are located, adjoin the main house, completing this incredible wilderness experience.