Case Study

MU Architecture makes a mid-century modern statement

The residential lift takes centre stage

MU Architecture’s interpretation of a modern mid-century house in Montreal includes a Vuelift^® Octagonal centred in the main stair and running vertically through the middle of the home, letting out into the foyer of the main entrance.

I’ve designed many homes that incorporate a lift. This is the first one where the lift will be the centrepiece of the home’s design.

Jean-Sébastien Herr | MU Architecture

With a mix of North American projects and experience from working in Vienna, Barcelona and Dubai, the firm puts an emphasis on improving everyday life and bringing a new intensity to the built environment.

To provide a backdrop and add visual interest, project lead Jean-Sebastien Herr, Architect and Partner/Co-Founder, designed a mural for the wall behind the staircase.

Herr originally intended to use the Vuelift^® Round on the project, but once he got deeper into designing with BIM objects, the Octagonal model’s unique faceted shape and its prismatic reflection of natural light into living spaces became intriguing.

Once you’ve seen it, you know you have to make it a focal point of the design,” he says. “It’s beautiful both inside and outside. Even the small part of the elevator mechanics that are visible with this unit just adds a touch of industrial chic.”