Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning
Jun 6
4 min read
Winner of the 2026 Award of Excellence in Architecture from the Quebec Association of Architects, the Aubé House is more than just a beautifully designed residence. It is a physical timeline—a space where a rich family history meets breathtaking modern design.
Sitting on the peaceful banks of the Rivière des Mille Îles, the property is anchored by a historic Maison des Patriotes dating back to 1811. For decades, the same family has called this vast former farmland home. Over the years, as the family grew, so did the property. First came the residence of artist Geneviève Jost, followed by a series of well-meaning but disjointed additions to the ancestral house.
Recently, the owners decided it was time for a change. They wanted to honour the home’s rich heritage, undo the patchwork modifications of the past, and create a space that could welcome their growing family for generations to come. The result is a stunning architectural dialogue between the 19th and 21st centuries.
Restoring the Ancestral Heart
The project began by peeling back the layers of time. The architects completely removed the old, clunky extensions attached to the 1811 structure, returning the home to its pure, original shape.
The exterior was handled with absolute respect for history. Modern skylights were removed in favour of a traditional cedar shingle roof, while the doors and windows were replaced with energy-efficient models that perfectly mimic the classic, multi-pane look of the era.
Inside, the home breathes again. By opening up the ceiling to create a new double-height living space, the architects revealed the original, hand-hewn timber frame. Time-worn stone walls were carefully restored to showcase their raw texture. At the center of this open-concept kitchen, dining, and living area sits the fireplace—restored to its rightful place as the beating heart of the home. Tucked quietly behind the kitchen is a discreet staircase leading to a modern library, playroom, and office spaces, all united by the sight of those historic wooden beams overhead.
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
The Glass Bridge
How do you connect a centuries-old heritage home to a brand-new, contemporary living space? With a bridge of glass.
The architects designed a transparent connecting passage that serves as a quiet transition between the two eras. From the outside, the glass walls reflect the surrounding trees, visually dissolving into the landscape. From the inside, walking down this hallway feels like a stroll through the garden itself—a peaceful pause before entering the modern wing.
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
The Contemporary Extension
If the ancestral home stands proudly and historically, the new extension is dark, quiet, and deeply integrated into nature.
Built with ebony-stained cedar and topped with a river-pebble roof, the new wing doesn’t compete with the original house. Instead, it hides among the mature trees. The architects actually allowed the garden to dictate the shape of the building, expanding and contracting the walls to weave around the existing tree trunks.
Inside the extension, the atmosphere is hushed and intimate. Black-stained wooden planks and exposed joists line the ceiling, offering a modern echo of the timber frame found in the 1811 house. A central corridor, built on gentle ramps that follow the natural slope of the land, guides you past a gym, office, and bedrooms.
At the very end of this journey lies the master suite. Pushed slightly forward into the landscape, the bedroom is wrapped in dark-framed windows that act like living paintings. Despite the glass, the surrounding trees offer total privacy, filtering the sunlight and casting shifting shadows across the room throughout the day.
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
A Legacy for Tomorrow
Today, the Aubé House is a masterclass in how to evolve without losing your soul. With three unique buildings now sharing the garden, the property has become a gathering place that unites four generations of a single family.
It is a true architectural success story: a home that proves you don’t have to erase the past to build for the future. The Aubé House is no longer just a piece of history frozen in time—it is a living, breathing space, ready for its next hundred years.
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
Aubé House: Breathing New Life into 1811 | The Award-Winning. Image courtesy of: Maxime Brouillet
YH2 architecture is an architectural design studio founded in 1994 by architects Marie-Claude Hamelin and Loukas Yiacouvakis. For YH2, architecture is the art of place—both the physical context in which a project is situated and which it transforms, and the more intimate interior space it creates. The architectural project, the result of a reflection centred on the landscape or the city, serves here as a tool for creating and transforming everyday life.
The firm aims to be a workshop for research and exploration of architectural projects, viewed as a totality. Particular attention is paid to materials, their spatial arrangement, and their theatricality. All aspects of a project are carefully studied: integration within a given context, conceptual design, working drawings, architectural details, interior design, and object design. Concepts are developed in such a way that each of the elements must play a part in the overall composition. Nothing is superfluous.
YH2 deliberately chose to concentrate on fewer projects. Headed by its two founding partners, the team dedicates its full attention to these projects, which have received numerous awards throughout the years.
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