TREETOP RETREAT

High off the ground, this cantilevered cabin towers over lush Quebec land

- Isabel B. Slone

IN 2007, ARCHITECT PAUL KARIOUK set out to build a remote weekend getaway home. He and his husband, Antonio Gioventu, the executive director of a non-profit, lived in a loft-style studio apartment in Ottawa. They wanted their new home to be nearby, preferably somewhere quiet, so they acquired a 17-acre lakeside lot in La Pêche, Quebec. "In a world where everything is buzzing, beeping, humming and ringing, silence is the ultimate luxury," Kariouk says.

He immediately began mapping out a compact, three-bedroom, 900-square-foot residence that could serve as both a refuge and a calling card to show clients what he could do with a limited budget. "I wanted to demonstrate that they could have something spectacular with a smaller footprint," he says. To design his home, he looked upward, envisioning a stark, cantilevered cabin six storeys above the ground.

Its towering height would fulfill the couple's desire for solitude and allow their cabin to be built closer to Lac du Brochet. Kariouk also wanted to minimize any disturbance to the surrounding nature, so he kept the home's eco-footprint as small as possible. Solar panels attached to the roof would generate almost all the energy needed, and the cabin would be heated by a high-efficiency wood stove.