A modern house with large windows and a sloped roof, surrounded by trees and a landscaped yard with stone steps and mulch.
A boy sitting on a wooden floor indoors, facing large windows that reveal green trees outside. Several glass bowls with purple flowers inside are arranged on the floor, casting soft shadows from the sunlight.
Interior view of a modern staircase with open wooden treads and a white supporting structure, leading upstairs next to a black wooden accent wall, with a large glass window showing greenery outside.
Interior view of a modern building featuring a sloped wooden ceiling, large floor-to-ceiling windows, and lush green trees outside. A person is walking with a blue umbrella inside the space.
Interior view of a modern staircase with wooden steps, white railing, a wood wall, and a metal mesh railing on the upper level.
Close-up of wooden stairs with black wooden wall background.
Interior of a modern building with large floor-to-ceiling windows showing trees outside, a wooden ceiling, and a concrete wall with small holes, illuminated by sunlight.
Modern minimalist bathroom with a freestanding bathtub, tall wooden partition, sloped ceiling with acoustic panels, and simple wall-mounted light fixtures.
A boy standing barefoot in a minimalist room with sloped white walls and a large skylight, sunlight streaming through and casting shadows.
Interior space with a curved wooden ceiling, a white wall with hooks, a netted barrier, a window showing green trees outside, and a beige table.
Indoor hallway with wooden ceiling and large window showing outdoor trees. On the left, a large white object possibly part of a slide or wall. On the right, wooden and white wall with a built-in wooden shelf. The floor is concrete, and a person can b
Interior of a wooden sauna with wooden walls and ceiling, a small window, a lamp on the wall, and a tiled floor.
Wooden staircase leading down, with wood-paneled walls, a handrail, and a view of a glass door or window at the bottom, in an interior setting.
Interior view of a building with wooden ceiling beams and a wooden staircase with railing, yellow wood paneling, and metal framework with mesh netting.
Interior space featuring a wooden ceiling and floor, large windows overlooking a wooded area, with a beige rope netting barrier.
Interior view of a modern building with a wooden ceiling, large glass windows, and a forested landscape outside. There are small glass vases with purple flowers on a wooden table.
Interior view of a dining area with a round wooden table, wooden chairs, and a partial view of a loft or upper level with exposed wooden beams and a netted barrier.
Children playing in a backyard swimming pool, viewed from an enclosed porch with wooden roof and support beams, trees and a small black shed in the background.
Interior view of a structure with a wooden ceiling, beams, and large windows, showing a person playing badminton outside through the windows.
Interior of a modern home with wood accents, a kitchen with a countertop, and a seating area with a large window showing greenery outside.
Interior of a modern building with wooden beams and ceiling, stone fireplace, and large windows showing greenery outside.
A person walking through a doorway from a room with wooden shelves and a wooden ceiling, into a brightly lit outdoor area with trees visible outside.
Bathroom with a white cabinet, a sink, an oval mirror, and three globe-shaped light bulbs on the wall, with a wooden ceiling and flooring in the background.
Interior room with a wooden cabinet, potted plant on top, a window with sunlight and greenery outside, and a wooden chair with curved backrest.
Interior space with a wooden staircase and a wooden chair, a window with a view of trees, and wooden beams on the ceiling.
A room with wooden beams and a skylight ceiling, looking out through a door at a dog standing outside near a garden wall.
Modern bathroom with sloped ceiling, marble countertop with sink, free-standing bathtub, tiled walls with black and gray accents, shower area with rain shower and handheld shower, window showing greenery outside, beige and black patterned floor tiles
White built-in closet with many closed doors, an open door revealing shelves, in a room with light wood floors and a white ceiling with wooden beams. A modern black pendant light hangs from the ceiling.
View through a glass window showing a backyard with a blue kidney-shaped pool, trees providing shade, and a person sitting on the pool edge.
A backyard with lush green trees, a swimming pool, a house with black and white exterior, two children playing with a dog near the pool, and a garden area with rocks and soil.
A modern house surrounded by tall trees with green leaves and a stone pathway leading to the entrance.
A modern house surrounded by trees with a person and a dog in the yard.
Modern house with large glass windows and exposed wooden beams, nestled among tall trees and lush greenery.
View of lush green trees and foliage seen through a large glass window with a black metal frame, part of a modern building.
A scenic aerial view of a lush green forest at sunset with a winding road and a few houses visible.
Site plan of a landscape with trees, a pond, buildings, and roads.
Architectural blueprint of a residential house showing west, east, south, and north elevations with detailed window and roof layouts.
Architectural blueprint with floor plans for a multi-story house, showing ground, lower, and second floors with labeled rooms and areas.
Cross-sectional architectural drawing of a house on a sloped terrain, showing various interior and exterior structural details.

Set within the steep, wooded terrain of the Niagara Escarpment in Belfountain, Ontario, Belfountain House unfolds as a continuous architectural promenade shaped by topography, movement, and family life.

Located on 3.21 acres of densely forested escarpment, the project transforms a 1970s chalet into a 400-square-metre, four-level residence for a philosopher, an artist, their children, and a dog. The design preserves the northern portion of the existing structure while extending the southern half along the original footprint, minimizing disturbance to the site and maintaining a close relationship with the landscape. Rather than relying on expansion, the project is shaped through subtraction, reorganization, and sectional clarity. The steep terrain, mature tree canopy, and desire for openness presented both spatial and structural challenges, requiring the architecture to respond carefully to the changing conditions of the slope.

A single elongated roof stretches across the hillside, gathering the life of the house beneath one continuous span. Conceived as a sectional response to the terrain, the architecture organizes space through shifts in level, compression, and light rather than rigid enclosure, creating a fluid interior landscape attuned to the rhythms of daily life.

Movement through the house recalls the cadence of hiking through the surrounding forest—sequential, episodic, and constantly shifting in atmosphere. The approach is gradual: visitors pass the artist’s studio and pool before the house quietly emerges within the trees. Entry occurs through a compressed timber-lined mudroom that gives way to a soaring living room anchored by a fireplace. Exposed rafters extend outward toward the canopy, intersected by diagonal red steel beams that stabilize the span while introducing a bold visual counterpoint. Suspended above the main living space, a large net functions simultaneously as barrier, hammock, and inhabitable surface for play, gathering, and rest.

A continuous plane of wood and glazing reinforces the relationship between interior and landscape. Seasonal light, weather, and ambient sound become active elements within the home, while reclaimed elm, local stone, stucco, and radiant concrete floors ground the project materially within its setting. As the sequence descends into the slope, the architecture becomes increasingly embedded within the terrain. Contrasting stair elements—one carved into the hillside and the other suspended lightly above it—frame distinct encounters with the landscape. Lower levels contain spaces for recreation and retreat, including a sauna, gym, pool connection, and a concealed guest suite wrapped in angled polycarbonate that emits a soft lantern-like glow at night.

Designed to support the evolving rhythms of family life, the house allows children to move freely between indoors and outdoors while maintaining visual connections across the site. Durable, tactile materials were selected to weather gracefully and absorb the marks of everyday life, allowing the house to be fully inhabited rather than merely preserved.

Title: Belfountain House
Location: Belfountain, Ontario, Canada
Use: Single Family House
Size: 430 sqm
Number of Stories: 4
Structure: Wood, Steel, Concrete
Construction Period: 2021-2025 Client: Joanie Ellen/Artist; Alex Klein/Philosopher Contractor & Custom Millwork: North Arrow Limited Structural: Moses Structural Engineers MEP: Hayward Consulting & Design Photographer: Ema Peter Photography