The next BESIDE Habitat, which will follow on from the Lanaudière project, will be in the Outaouais. It is more precisely the municipality of Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette that will host the company’s second ecological subdivision, this time with a market gardening flavour.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
The land, purchased about a year ago, is a little smaller than that of Chertsey, which is 1,254 acres, 900 of which are protected. As a result, the destination, which is about an hour north of Ottawa (two hours from Montreal), will have fewer cabins. For reference, there are 75 in Lanaudière. This project, which is still in progress, particularly with regard to the common buildings, is already well appreciated by its owners and the visitors who stay there for rent.
This time, it is Human Nature who designs the dwellings. They will be on sale shortly. The architecture and design studio was able to draw on the experience of its predecessor, Apparatus Architecture, to create spaces that are both aesthetic and functional. “We don’t start from scratch every time,” emphasizes Jean-Daniel Petit, president and co-founder of BESIDE, first known as a written medium that reinforces the link between nature and culture.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY BESIDE
A shed roof can reduce construction costs a little.
In terms of design, choices have been made with a view to remaining accessible for buyers and vacationers, while offering the best possible quality. Also, new constructions will have square foundations, for example, then sloping roofs (one side rather than two). The smallest model, one bedroom (there will also be two and three bedrooms), will have a living area of approximately 750 sq.ft.2. Stéphane Rasselet, lead architect at Nature Humaine, says the basic inspiration is the Quebec barn.
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There is a lake and a mountain on the territory of BESIDE Outaouais.
While music and other varied cultural elements are at the heart of the BESIDE Lanaudière experience, the Outaouais has proven to be more conducive to a market gardening mission, with its large uncultivated fields on the territory which also has a lake. and a mountain. The culture of the land will be honored through a cultural program including activities and workshops organized in collaboration with local partners.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Jean-Daniel Petit, Guillaume Leblanc and Eliane Cadieux, the three co-founders of BESIDE, on the terrace of their offices, in Rosemont
Eventually, BESIDE wants to convert 500 million square feet (or 10,000 acres in 10 projects) into nature reserves. One day, society would like to be able to buy land for the sole purpose of keeping it. But in the meantime, the best thing to do, according to the founders, is to win bids against promoters more interested in profits than the environment.
Success in Lanaudière
In less than a year, BESIDE Lanaudière has received more than 4,000 visitors, with an evolving capacity, since only fifteen units out of 75 were ready when reservations opened in the fall of 2021. The recurring clientele is rising at 20%. Several prizes have been awarded to this project, including Platinum Winner in the Architecture+Collaboration category at the Grands Prix du design 2022.