This project was done in collaboration with the client who wished to build his own home. The site is located in a back alley of Montréal’s Plateau neighborhood and the design reflects the patchwork of extensions and renovations typically found in Plateau alleyways. The constraints of the site called for a house that was built upwards versus outwards. Four boxes clad in different materials are stacked one on top of the other. A void carved out of the center of the house, provides daylight, ventilation, and private outdoor space.