Mountain Retreat: Passive House in Quebec's Landscape

The Mountain Retreat residence in Quebec, Canada, designed by an unnamed architect, uses a pinwheel layout around a glazed central corridor to ensure privacy while maximizing views of a lake and hills. The 353-square-meter building comprises small gabled volumes clad in wood, housing private family spaces. Its envelope and mechanical systems follow Passive House principles, achieving airtightness with highly insulated foundation, walls, and roof. Ultra-high-performance windows capture solar heat, and a heat recovery ventilator captures 80% of exhaust heat. The building consumes about 20% of the energy of a conventional code-compliant home. The core construction system uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels manufactured by Nordic Structures in Quebec. The CLT panels, made from engineered wood layers, store carbon, are durable, and provide a visible wood interior finish.