NORM House / Alain Carle Architecte

The city of Baie-D’Urfe, situated at the southwestern end of the island of Montreal, Canada, was first founded in the 17th century to protect citizens from invasions coming from the south. Populated largely by farmers located along the shore of the St. Lawrence River, the town gradually expanded inland of the island. It was only after the Second World War that the area began to appear more like a traditional suburb with the propagation of prefabricated houses, established on subdivided lots of agricultural land. The main street layout is organized according to principal axes following an orthogonal grid while the secondary arteries meanderingly follow the irregular topography of the area. The vegetation is dense and mature, giving a natural atmosphere to the otherwise suburban area.