Canadian Architect June 2016 by IQ Business Media

CANADIAN ARCHITECT JUN/16

QUEBEC LANDMARKS

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE RAIC

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HUMBER RIVER HUMBER RIVERHOSPITAL HOSPITAL Toronto, ON HUMBER RIVER HOSPITAL

Toronto, ON Toronto, ON

Humber River America’s firstfirst fullyfully digital hospital, and uses the most Humber RiverHospital HospitalisisNorth North America’s digital hospital, and uses the most modern technologies such as robots who administer medication and other supplies. This Humber River Hospital issuch North as America’s first fully digital hospital, and uses the most modern modern technologies robots who administer medication and other supplies. This Humber River Hospital is North America’s first fully digital hospital, and uses the most and serves more than 1.8 million square foot facility opened its doors on October 18th, 2015, th technologies, including robots who administer medication and other supplies. This 1.8 million-square1.8 million square foot facility opened its doors on October 18 , 2015, and serves more than modern as robotsGreater who administer medication and other supplies. This 850,000 technologies people in thesuch northwestern Toronto Area. foot million facility opened doors on opened October 18th, 2015,on and serves more than 850,000 people in thethan 850,000 people the northwestern Greater Toronto Area. 1.8 squareinits foot facility its doors October 18th, 2015, and serves more northwestern Greater Toronto Area.built Greater The hospital wasindesigned and to adhere to Leadership 850,000 people the northwestern Toronto Area. in Energy and Environmental

The hospital was designed andbuildings built to adhere tohealthy Leadership Energy and Environmental design (LEED) standards. LEED focus on indoorinenvironments, reduced The hospital was designed and built to adhere to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design The hospital wasstandards. designed and built to adhere to Leadership in as Energy and Environmental design (LEED) LEED buildings on healthy indoor environments, reduced greenhouse gas emissions effi cient use offocus resources such energy and water. (LEED) standards. LEED buildings focus on healthy indoor environments, reduced greenhouse gas design (LEED) standards. LEED healthy indoor reduced greenhouse gas emissions andbuildings efficient focus use ofonresources suchenvironments, as energy and water. emissions andgas efficient use of and resources such as of energy and Group water. In conjunction with General Contractor PCL, The Flynn greenhouse emissions efficient use resources suchofasCompanies energy andwas water.

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green roofcompleted was compiled of 4square inchsq. live roof systems andover plating was17 designed bylevels. Terry Our crews 140,000 feet of green roof spanning 17over different levels. The green The Our crews completed 140,000 feet oftray green roof spanning different Our crewsofcompleted sq. feet of green roof over 17Roof different levels. The McGlade the from Flynn4 140,000 Group ofroof Companies andPlanting Keesspanning Govers of Live Ontario. Planting roof was created inch live traylive systems. was designed by Terry McGlade of theby Terry green roof was compiled of 4 inch roof tray systems and plating was designed green roof was compiled 4 inch live roofspecifi tray systems and plating wasperennials designed such by Terry was comprised of sedumsofand perennials cally shade orientated Flynn Group of Companies and Kees Govers of Live Roof Ontario. Planting comprised of Planting sedums McGlade of the FlynnGroup Group Companies and Kees ofwas Live Roof Planting McGlade the Flynn ofof Companies Kees Govers of Live Roof Ontario. as Hostasof and Bergenias, and grasses and and chives for sunGovers areas intermixed with Ontario. sedum and perennials: specifically, shade-oriented such aspossible hostas and bergenias, and grasses was comprised ofsedums sedums and perennials specifi cally shade orientated perennials such was comprised of and perennials specifi cally shade orientated perennials such varieties. Planting was designed to be asperennials sustainable as to LEED Sites standards andHostas chives for sunny areas, intermixed sedum varieties. Planting was designed toarea be as sustainable as and Bergenias, and grasses and chives for sun areas intermixed with sedum as Hostas and Bergenias, and grasses and chives fortotal sun areas intermixed with sedum with no potable water to be used inwith future years. The roof and plenum that was as possiblePlanting to meet was LEED Sites standards with no potable be used intofuture years. Thestandards total varieties. Planting was designed be as sustainable astopossible LEED Sites varieties. designed to to be351,000 as sustainable as possible to LEED Sites standards completed, including green roof, was square water feet. roof and plenum area that completed, including green roof, wasroof 351,000 feet. with water totowas be in in future years. TheThe total roof and plenum area that with no potable potable water beused used future years. total andsquare plenum areawas that was At Flynn, Safety is always our topwas priority. Crews were veryfeet. proud to receive an award in completed, including green roof, 351,000 square feet. completed, including was 351,000 square At Flynn, safety is alwaysgreen our toproof, priority. Crews were very proud to receive an award in recognition of recognition of their safety excellence. They won an award for achieving 5 million hours

their safety excellence. The award was given for achieving 5very million hourstowithout lost incident. At Flynn, Safety our priority. Crews were proud receive antime award in without lost time is incident. At Flynn, Safety isalways always ourtop top priority. Crews were very proud to receive an award in recognition their safety excellence. They won an award forwell achieving 5 million hours This stunningof project reinforces both the Province of Ontario’s, as asachieving Flynn’s position as anhours recognition of their safety excellence. They won an award for 5 million This stunning project reinforces both the Province of Ontario’s, as well as Flynn’s position as without lost time incident. innovation leader. without lost time incident. an innovation leader.

This stunning project reinforces both the Province of Ontario’s, as well as Flynn’s position as

This stunning leader. project reinforces both the Province of Ontario’s, as well as Flynn’s position as an innovation For more information on the Flynn Group of Companies, please visit: www.ﬂynncompanies.com an innovation leader. For more information on the Flynn Group of Companies, please visit: www.ﬂynncompanies.com

For more information on the Flynn Group of Companies, please visit: www.ﬂynncompanies.com

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QUEBEC LANDMARKS 8 VIEWPOINT

DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY

OLIVIER BLOUIN

CANADIAN ARCHITECT

JUNE 2016

Pedaling through the workday on a bike desk.

11 NEWS

Winners of AIBC awards and Vancouver urban design awards announced; RAIC launches new organization for emerging practitioners.

37 PRACTICE

Sharon Vanderkaay lays out best practices for combatting the low-fee race to the bottom with a quality-driven race to the top.

41 CALENDAR 24

17 MUSÉE D’ART DE JOLIETTE Les Architectes FABG reinvigorates a small-town art museum with a sensitive addition. TEXT David Theodore

Doors Open in Ottawa and Halifax; SSAC, RAIC and CSLA annual conferences.

42 BACKPAGE

Peter Sealy reports on the sensitive revamp of Montreal’s Cabot Square, led by Affleck de la Riva Architectes.

24 STADE DE SOCCER DE MONTRÉAL A striking wood roof crowns a quarryside soccer centre by Saucier+Perrotte Architectes with HCMA Architecture + Design. TEXT Elsa Lam

31 MAISON DE LA LITTÉRATURE DE L’INSTITUT CANADIEN DU QUÉBEC

STEVE MONTPETIT

Chevalier Morales Architectes transforms a former church into a hub for Quebec’s literary heritage. TEXT Olivier Vallerand

COVER Stade de Soccer de Montréal by Saucier+Perrotte Architectes with HCMA Architecture + Design. Photo by Olivier Blouin.

V.61 N.06

THE NATIONAL REVIEW OF DESIGN AND PRACTICE / THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE RAIC

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CANADIAN ARCHITECT 06/16

VIEWPOINT

EDITOR ELSA LAM, MRAIC ART DIRECTOR ROY GAIOT

Editor Elsa Lam exercises at work with a LifeSpan Bike Desk paired with a Humanscale QuickStand Lite arm. LEFT

Spin Job This summer, I’ve been keeping healthy by biking to work—and also biking at work. I’ve swapped my chair for an upright bicycle, putting the active workstation to the test. Back in January 2014, I wrote about the walking desk at my home office. More than two years later, I still use it on a regular basis. We’ve since moved to a house, so there is no neighbour below to complain about the whirring sound. Our stucco ceiling remains free of cracks. I love the rhythm of walking while I write, and the efficiency of integrating exercise with my workday. If I had a closed room at my regular office, I’d get another treadmill in an instant. But my setup is a more typical workstation in an open office. A walking desk would take up too much room, and its hum would no doubt annoy my colleagues. So, I’ve been on a quest for an office-friendly active workstation set-up. Over the past year, I’ve tried a cardboard standing desk, under-desk cycle, and some DIY experiments, like a standing workstation made from upturned recycling bins. All of these worked well enough—almost anything is better for your metabolism than plain sitting—but ergonomically, none were quite right. Finally, I’ve arrived at a configuration that’s been performing optimally for over three months. It has two components: a Bike Desk unit from LifeSpan Fitness that replaces my chair, and a QuickStand Lite arm from Humanscale that mounts at the edge of my desktop. Both are loaners from their respective manufacturers. Just like a treadmill desk is a simplified treadmill, a bike desk is essentially a simplified exercise bike. It doesn’t have handlebars, and the control console is a unit that can be tucked to the side, rather than sitting directly in front of you. The pedals work with magnetic resistance—the level of difficulty can be changed— so the unit is completely silent. I would happily pedal away all day, but the one area of friction is the seat. Even as a regu-

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lar cyclist, after a while I get saddle sore. In any case, LifeSpan suggests using the bike desk for only two to four hours a day, and most days I hit that before my derrière gets overly tender. That’s enough to burn some 200 to 400 calories, while leaving plenty of energy for my 15-kilometre bike ride home. The trick with biking at a desk is finding a way to have your monitor and keyboard at the correct heights. Getting a variable height desk would be the simplest solution, but that doesn’t fit our office configuration. That’s where the QuickStand Lite comes in. It’s an articulated arm with a platform for a keyboard and a mount for an existing monitor—the location of these elements relative to each other can be adjusted. A clever counterbalance mechanism lets you effortlessly swivel the unit to any height—from desk height for sitting, to a half-metre higher for standing, and a few centimetres higher still for biking. At first, my computer monitor jiggled a bit— the inevitable trade-off for any cantilevered design. But with the slight pressure of my wrists at the keyboard and mouse, it’s easily stabilized. Compared to other sit-stand platforms, which sit directly atop desks, the aesthetic is elegant and minimalist. The white and brushed aluminum finishes are a close match to my iPhone and MacBook. There are channels that thoughtfully hide away cables. It would look good in a designer’s office. Working at my bike desk sometimes does feel a bit oddball. Each day, someone in our office will come to examine the set-up, and I’ll explain it, and encourage them to give it a spin. Usually, they go away at least a tad envious. As for me, pedaling at work helps me feel enlivened and engaged. Now, I just need to optimize my workplace snacks to keep my blood sugar and protein levels up. Any ideas? Elsa Lam

ASSISTANT EDITOR SHANNON MOORE EDITORIAL ADVISOR IAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, FRAIC CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ANNMARIE ADAMS, FRAIC ODILE HÉNAULT DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB, MRAIC REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS HALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAA REGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAA MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE CALGARY GRAHAM LIVESEY, MRAIC WINNIPEG LISA LANDRUM, MAA, AIA, MRAIC VANCOUVER ADELE WEDER PUBLISHER TOM ARKELL 416-510-6806 SALES MANAGER FARIA AHMED 416-510-6808 CUSTOMER SERVICE / PRODUCTION LAURA MOFFATT 416-510-6898 CIRCULATION CIRCULATION@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM PRESIDENT OF IQ BUSINESS MEDIA INC. ALEX PAPANOU HEAD OFFICE 80 VALLEYBROOK DRIVE, TORONTO, ON M3B 2S9 TELEPHONE 416-510-6845 E-MAIL elam@canadianarchitect.com WEBSITE www.canadianarchitect.com Canadian Architect is published monthly by iQ Business Media Inc.. The editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose. Subscription Rates Canada: $54.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $87.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (HST – #81538 0985 RT0001). Price per single copy: $6.95. Students (prepaid with student ID, includes taxes): $27.00 for one year. USA: $105.95 US for one year. All other foreign: $125.95 US per year. Single copy US and foreign: $10.00 US. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Canadian Architect, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Postmaster: please forward forms 29B and 67B to 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Telephone 1-800-668-2374 E-mail circulation@canadianarchitect.com Mail Circulation, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9 MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS PRESS MEMBER OF THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #43096012 ISSN 1923-3353 (ONLINE) ISSN 0008-2872 (PRINT)

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PROJECTS PLANT unveils new bird-watching pavilions in Toronto. PLANT Architect has unveiled bird-watching pavilions at the East Point Park Sanctuary on the Scarborough Bluffs. The project is part of a citywide initiative to enhance and protect the avian habitat and increase birding activity through public education programming. A newly completed viewing pavilion, bird blind and entry signage will enhance the East Point experience, as will the network of new and rehabilitated nature trails that PLANT has developed for the park. The pavilions explore the use of architecture as a means of framing and adding to the natural qualities of the lakeside park. They are made from sheets of weathering steel, folded into shapes that are evocative of flight. Lasercut into the walls of the viewing pavilion are silhouettes of birds and the names of species that frequent this significant migratory flyway stopover site. Meanwhile, the laser-cut pattern on the bird blind evokes sunlight filtering through branches. The materials palette, which also includes precast and cast-in-place concrete and galvanized grating, was chosen for durability and minimal environmental impact. www.branchplant.com

River logs installed in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles.

An ingenious installation temporarily transformed the pedestrian zone on Sainte-Catherine Street in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal this spring. 560 KM consisted of one thousand logs scattered between De Bleury and Clark streets in a metaphorical representation of river driving, the 19th century method of moving timber down Quebec’s rivers. Conceived and produced by architecture firm KANVA and presented by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, the art installation enhanced the street in anticipation of the summer festival season. “Our artistic intent was to reinterpret the work of the drivers who moved wood—the labourers who transported the material that shaped and defined our cities, including Montreal. In a sense, logs like these are the foundation of the spaces now occupied by 560 KM,” said Rami Bebawi, MRAIC, of KANVA. 560 KM owes its name to the length of the Saint Maurice River, the last Quebec river used for floating log booms before the practice ended in 1996. All wood used for the installation came from the West Brome sawmill and is FSC certified.

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NEWS

ABOVE A series of pavilions by PLANT Architect enhance the birding experience at the East Point Park Sanctuary on the Scarborough Bluffs, east of downtown Toronto.

560 KM was on view until May 29, 2016. After the work was disassembled, the logs were returned to the sawmill for processing into building products. www.quartierdesspectacles.com

AWARDS AIBC awards recipients announced.

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) recognized 12 architectural projects and one emerging firm at the closing ceremony of its annual conference this May. The Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture were established to recognize excellence in completed architectural projects led or designed by AIBC members. This year, two projects received the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture Medal: Telus Garden, by Henriquez Partners Architects; and Guildford Aquatic Centre, by Bing Thom Architects in joint venture with Shape Architecture. Seven projects were recognized at the Merit Level: York House Senior School, by Acton Ostry Architects; Centennial College Ashtonbee Campus Student Hub, by MJMA ; MNP Tower, by the Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership in association with Kohn Pederson Fox; Rough House, by Measured Architecture; Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre, by HCMA Architecture + Design; Jasper Place Library, by HCMA Architecture + Design in joint venture with Dub Architects; and Fort McMurray Airport, International Airport Terminal, by mcfarlane biggar architects + designers (project started at predecessor firm mcfarlane, green, biggar architecture and design). Recognizing an achievement that isn’t strictly “architectural” but that has a direct bearing on the future of architecture, the

AIBC Innovation Award was bestowed to Surrey Operations Centre, by Taylor Kurtz Architecture + Design and Rounthwaite, Dick & Hadley Architects. The development, success and contributions of the young practice Marianne Amodio Architecture Studio were acknowledged with the AIBC Emerging Firm Award. Meanwhile, the AIBC Special Jury Awards are given for exceptional achievement, selected from all awards submissions. A Special Jury Award for Heritage Retention and Modernization was awarded to Shaughnessy House, by Measured Architecture, and a Special Jury Award for Contextual Innovation went to 2211 Cambie, by Arno Matis Architecture and Azurean Architecture. www.aibc.ca

OAA unveils three additional honours at awards gala.

This year’s Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Celebration of Excellence Awards in May recognized nine projects in the Design Excellence category. In addition to these awards, announced before the ceremony, three additional honours were unveiled at the gala. The Lieutenant Governor’s Award was presented to the Richard Ivey Building at the Richard Ivey School of Business, on London, Ontario’s Western University campus, by Hariri Pontarini Architects. The Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award, honouring architectural excellence for projects in Ontario that cost no more than eight million dollars, was presented to Brook McIlroy for Prince Arthur’s Landing on the Thunder Bay Waterfront. People’s Choice, decided by public vote, went to the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, by Moriyama & Teshima Architects in association with Maki and Associates. www.oaa.on.ca

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CANADIAN ARCHITECT 06/16

NEWS Winners of Vancouver Urban Design Awards unveiled.

Thirteen projects were honoured at the 2016 Vancouver Urban Design Awards. Presented every other year since 2014, the awards promote urban design awareness and the positive contribution public realm design makes to people’s lives. The awarded projects in the building categories are: 430 House by D’Arcy Jones, in the Small-Scale Residential Building category; 133 East 8th Avenue by GBL Architects, in the Medium-Scale Residential Building category; Kwayatsut by NSDA Architects, for LargeScale Residential Building; 564 Beatty Street by IBI Group Architects with Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects, for Commercial Building; and York Theatre by Henriquez Partners Architects, in the Government and Institutional Building section. Prizes were also given out to The Vanglo House by Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture, in the Innovation category; 250 Powell by Henriquez Partners Architects, for Outstanding Sustainable Design; and Metamorphous Corten Seawall Sculpture and Foreshore Enhancement, for Landscape, Public Space and Infrastructure. Two projects were recognized in the category of Urban Elements: Bendy Straw Trellis

at Mid Main Park by Hapa Collaborative, and TELUS Garden Office Pavilion by Henriquez Partners Architects. Three projects received Special Jury Awards. MNP Tower by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates and Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership was recognized for its contextual response in urban design; and 999 Seymour by Acton Ostry Architects was awarded for its active façade. Lastly, an award recognizing the successful partnership of two cultures went to Skwachàys Healing Lodge by Joe Y. Wai Architect.

the Young Architects + Designers Committee organize a themed portfolio competition that is juried by architects, artists and critics. Established in 1981, The Architectural League Prize recognizes exemplary and provocative work by young practitioners and provides a public forum for the exchange of their ideas. It is open to designers 10 years or less out of school and draws entrants from around North America.

www.vancouver.ca

WHAT’S NEW

Three Canadians win 2016 Architectural League Prize.

RAIC launches new organization for emerging practitioners.

One of North America’s most prestigious awards programs for young architects and designers has recognized three Canadians in 2016. Hubert Pelletier and Yves de Fontenay (of Montreal’s Pelletier de Fontenay), and Neeraj Bhatia (of San Francisco’s The Open Workship) are among six practices that have won the Architectural League Prize, handed out by the eponymous New York institution. They will present their work in a variety of public fora, including lectures, an exhibition and the League’s website. Every year, The Architectural League and

The RAIC will launch a national organization—RAIC Emerging Practitioners / IRAC Relève professionelle—at their Festival of Architecture in Nanaimo, BC. The organization is founded, directed and governed by students, intern architects and recently licensed architects from across Canada; and the RAIC EP/IRAC RP is seeking to grow the team to strengthen the collective voice of emerging practitioners across Canada. Its mission will be to inspire and advocate for the continued development of young professionals on their path to licensure.

www.archleague.org

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The RAIC EP/IRAC RP will serve as a link and provide a sense of continuity during the transition from being students in an academic setting through to becoming licensed members of the architectural profession. It will also act as an advocacy group, providing emerging practitioners with a venue for support, networking and contributing to the practice of architecture in Canada.

means to take greater risks and develop projects on a greater scale and scope than their usual activities. These one-time projects will serve to advance their own development and that of their arts practices. The resulting initiatives will strengthen the presence of the arts in conversations about the future of the country. www.canadacouncil.ca

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2016 RAIC Fellows named. Canada Council creates one-time New Chapter program.

The Canada Council for the Arts will mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation by launching a special program that supports the creation and sharing of exceptional artistic and literary works. Through this program, artists can apply for a number of grants by October 31, 2016. The maximum bursaries are $150,000 for individuals, collaborations and artist groups/collectives; and $500,000 for organizations. The grants will go to works that encourage public engagement in the arts and promote outreach locally, nationally and internationally. The program aims to offer all Canadians a wide array of powerful, daring and exceptional artistic experiences. It provides artists, artists’ collectives and arts organizations with

Leslie Jen, Mark Langridge, Robert W. Martin, Anne McIlroy, Bruce McKenzie, David Miller, James Orlikow, J. Albert Paquette, Carol G. Rogers, Brian Rudy, Sean Ruthen, Bruno St-Jean, Dudley Thompson, Betsy Williamson, and Kent Woloschuk. Thomas Mueller, President, CEO and Founding Director of the Canada Green Building Council, will be inducted into the College as an Honourary Fellow and give the Keynote Address at the convocation ceremony on June 9.

CANADIAN ARCHITECT 06/16

NEWS

www.raic.com

The College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada has named its 2016 Fellows, in recognition of outstanding achievement. Criteria include design excellence, exceptional scholarly contribution, or distinguished service to the profession or the community. The 2016 Fellows are: Cheryl Atkinson, Robert D. Bennett, David Bergmark, Ewa Bieniecka, Trevor Boddy, Tania Bortolotto, Jacques Boucher, Elisa Brandts, Calvin Brook, Conrad Boychuk, Harriet Burdett-Moulton, James Case, John E. Christie, David K. Cole, Gerald D. Conway, Anthony Cook, Andre D’Elia, Toon Dreessen, Guy Favreau, Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Murray Gallant, Valerie Gow, Terry Hartwig, Donald G. Hazleden, Keith D. Henry, Viktors Jaunkalns,

Scott Torrance merges with FORREC.

FORREC, the Toronto-headquartered global entertainment design company, is known for its theme parks, water parks, resorts, mixed-use destinations and visitor attractions. Now, it has combined forces with Scott Torrance Landscape Architect. The Toronto-based landscape architecture firm brings to the merger its expertise in urban ecology, sustainability, BIM, green roofs and LEED. Its projects include the West Toronto Railpath, Aitken Place Park, Victoria Park Subway Station, Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence at York University, Maddie’s Healing Garden, Scarborough Library and numerous residential projects. www.forrec.com

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ALL THE RIGHT ANGLES AN ADDITION OF THREE GLASS BOXES TRANSFORMS A BUNKER-LIKE ART MUSEUM IN JOLIETTE, QUEBEC, INTO A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED CENTRE.

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Musée d’art de Joliette, Joliette, Quebec Les Architectes FABG TEXT David Theodore PHOTOS Steve Montpetit PROJECT

ARCHITECT

SITE PLAN

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Joliette sits about 50 kilometres northeast of Montreal and 10 kilometres north of the St. Lawrence. It’s home to the internationally acclaimed Festival de Lanaudière, an annual summer celebration of classical music. When you drive in by car—and there is little chance that you’ll arrive by any other means—you’re greeted by a bright, cantilevered box that slides out over a podium of white concrete steps. This is the sparkling new addition to the Musée d’art de Joliette (MAJ). You can’t miss it. Éric Gauthier, FIRAC, of Les Architectes FABG, which designed the two-storey addition to an existing structure known as “the bunker,” says that the aim was to open up the museum to the community. Annie Gauthier, the MAJ’s director, came to him with a vision to make the institution a bigger part of everyday life in the city. That mandate follows a worldwide focus on how museum design can impact the visitor experience. In Manhattan, for instance, the Whitney Museum has moved from Marcel Breuer’s inward-looking 1966 building to an airy, glass-faced Renzo Piano building attached to the High Line. “With the addition in Joliette, the idea is to attract the public and to bring the art works

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OPENING PAGE A series of transparent volumes opens the museum towards downtown Joliette and the Assomption River. OPPOSITE A concrete floor was removed to enlarge the existing lobby into a spacious two-storey space, flanked by staircases to the upper-floor exhibition and reception areas. ABOVE Renovations to the permanent exhibition gallery include new finishes and upgraded mechanical and electrical systems that harmonize with the addition’s minimalist aesthetic.

forward to the community, so that people participate not just in a museum visit, but in a cultural event,” says Gauthier. “The architecture is the setting for that event.” Easier said than done, perhaps, in rural Quebec. Joliette—population 19,958—began as a couple of saw mills on the banks of the Assomption River in the early 19th century. It started to grow into a regional centre with the arrival of the Clercs de Saint-Viateur from France in 1847. This Roman Catholic teaching order established the Séminaire de Joliette, whose heritage buildings are just across the road from the MAJ. Now, however, the city is marked by suburban sprawl. Even a welcome 2009 revamp of the main downtown plaza, Place Bourget, by architects Daoust Lestage, has had little effect on the centrifugal forces affecting Joliette. The existing museum was built in 1976. A model made by Father Wilfrid Corbeil provided the inspiration for the architecture. In 1942 Corbeil had helped set up a collection of modern and religious art in the Séminaire de Joliette that is the core of the MAJ’s collection today. His model belied a love of Le Corbusier, but the building ended up as a rough agglomeration of blank concrete boxes. By the time FABG was commissioned, it had been renovated twice, and still needed a complete replacement of its electrical and mechanical systems. Administrative offices and some storage facilities had to be renovated. And it leaked.

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Beyond addressing these problems, Gauthier’s design added three volumes that transform the building, yet continue its existing rectangular geometry. “We wanted to exploit the orthogonal tension in the project,” says Gauthier. “I believe in the power of the meeting of the right angle.” FABG painted the original concrete building charcoal grey, so that it now acts as a backdrop to the addition. Two glass boxes lie on the X and Y axes. They do not add more dedicated gallery space. Rather, they contain column-free, multifunctional rooms that allow for a wide range of activities—from art courses and concerts to exhibitions and parties. They have all been fitted out in the same way, with acoustic panels, technical services, white-painted steel structure and polished concrete floors. New interacts with old in a straightforward manner: both the existing and added structural components are exposed, and the old brick and concrete have been cleaned up to harmonize with the new white paint. By removing a concrete floor, Gauthier transformed the main lobby into a light-filled two-storey hall, wrapped by pinwheeling staircases. A new terrace on the second level affords dramatic views of the river. The result is a raw look familiar in contemporary art museums, done here without a fetish for minimalism. The third volume, a tower clad in frosted glass, adds a vertical element to the composition. On the inside, visitors can climb up a steel stair to an observatory. It’s an appropriate setting for artist Claudie

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Existing walls New walls

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1 EXHIBITION ROOM 2 OFFICES 3 CONFERENCE ROOM 4 S TAFF LOUNGE AND KITCHEN 5 MECHANICAL ROOM

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A multipurpose room at the front of the building is one of several spaces available for special events; structural steel and building systems are cleanly detailed, painted white and exposed throughout the addition. ABOVE A folded steel-plate stair ascends to an observatory, adding a vertical dimension to the project. OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM

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2 PERMANENT

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Gagnon’s Collections: Suspended Time, funded by the provincial government’s 50-year-old program to integrate art into public buildings. Gagnon created a glittering chandelier-like cascade of a hundred-odd glass and crystal objects, including measuring cups and laboratory flasks. Like the architecture, it’s shiny, yet familiar and restrained, all at once. Gauthier is something of an authority on public architecture in Quebec. He’s one of the main architects giving physical form to the ongoing secularization of Quebecois life that began with the Quiet Revolution. He has designed over 30 cultural projects across the province, starting with the reconfiguration of Buckminster Fuller’s Expo 67 pavilion into the Biosphere museum (1990). Just down the river from the MAJ, he also designed the Théâtre Hector-Charland (1999) and a college sports centre in the town of Assomption (2008). This past year alone, FABG has finished two theatre centres: Le Carré 150 in Victoriaville, central Quebec; and Espace Théâtre Muni-Spec in Mont-Laurier, up north. That’s impact. Gauthier’s team espouses a restrained strategy for design and construction. “We use a variation of the same ideas on each project—panelization of the envelope, some technical details, structural steel—and then each time we try to add another tool to the toolbox.” At the MAJ, one new tool is the use of white concrete for stairs both inside and out. A second is the emphasis on what he calls “flexibility.” Gauthier says that he always aims for neutral spaces, because “when architecture gets too specific, especially with materials, it takes away from the possibility of appropriation, of the ability to see yourself in it.” What Gauthier sought was an architecture that would activate the museum’s public programs and outreach. In order to do that, the

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3 LOUNGE 4 TERRACE 5 MECHANICAL ROOM 6 GALLERY STORAGE

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ABOVE An upper terrace extends an interior lounge space, and adjoins both the permanent exhibition galleries and a group reception room.

DOWNTOWN

RIVER

addition eschews program-driven design for something closer to Mies van der Rohe’s concept of universal space. The design gives few cues about how the rooms should be used, allowing the museum to use them as they wish. According to Gauthier, this strategy of restraint has worked. The addition is attracting a new public, and acts as an appropriate setting—whether it’s hosting a corporate fundraiser on the roof terrace or a concert in the entrance hall. “It’s full of events, non-stop.” The museum is working its way into the heart of the community. Even so, the addition is a reluctant icon. The outside offers the drama of the cantilever, but overall the project goes against our cultural desire for bling. For Gauthier, restraint is a part of the architect’s responsibility when building with public funds. Cultural projects can be meaningful to a community without seeking spectacle. “I don’t think we do grand architecture,” says Gauthier. “But with each project we try to do something adequate and appropriate.” Perhaps good architecture really is as simple as that: addressing basic problems with sobriety, a good eye, and a love of the right angle. David Theodore, MRAIC, is Assistant Professor at the McGill University School of Architecture.

CLIENT MUSÉE D’ART DE JOLIETTE | ARCHITECT TEAM ÉRIC GAUTHIER, MARC-ANTOINE FRÉDETTE,

EXPANSION DIAGRAM

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SOCCER STAR A QUARRYSIDE SPORTS COMPLEX IN MONTREAL UNITES SOCCER PLAYERS UNDER A MONUMENTAL WOODEN ROOF.

SITE PLAN

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Stade de soccer de Montréal, Saint-Michel Environmental Complex Park, Montreal, Quebec Saucier+Perrotte Architectes with HCMA Architecture + Design TEXT Elsa Lam PHOTOS Olivier Blouin PROJECT

ARCHITECTS

If you look at the elbow-shaped island of Montreal from above, you’ll see several large swaths of green: nature reserves along the edges, Mount Royal Park at the centre of the island, the botanical gardens next to the Olympic Stadium, several golf courses. Then there’s a pale green rectangle towards the inner crook of the elbow, not far from downtown. It’s a not-quite-yet park—a former quarry, later turned garbage dump, that is slowly being covered over with green. Once the rehabilitation is complete in 2023, the 153-hectare

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Saint-Michel Environmental Complex Park will be the city’s second largest, after Mount Royal. The lowest part of the quarry will be transformed into a lake, surrounded by wooded areas, pathways, an outdoor theatre and sports fields. Below the surface, biogas emitted by the buried garbage will continue to be collected and used as fuel. Meanwhile, at the border of the park, an impressive component of the overall plan has already been completed. The Saint-Michel soccer complex, by Saucier+Perrotte Architectes with HCMA Architecture +

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ABOVE A zinc-clad roof with a wooden underside hovers over an indoor soccer field northeast of downtown Montreal. The structure stretches out beyond the field to frame a public plaza and outdoor field.

SKETCH

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Design, is inspired by the massive man-made topography of the former quarry. “For me, Mount Royal is convex, while Saint-Michel Park is concave. It’s like the yin and yang of the park situation in Montreal,” explains lead architect Gilles Saucier, FIRAC, whose team won the commission following a two-stage design competition. Conceptually, the project is a “simple plate of ground” that delaminates up from the rim of the quarry, reaching towards the higher topography at the centre of the island. The building contains two soccer fields—one indoors, sheltered by a mass timber roof, and one outdoors. The outdoor field is framed by arm-like extensions of the roof, which transform into gates and

bleachers to embrace the sides of the field in a giant hug. Between the two soccer pitches, the structure’s shoulders arch over the two ends of a new public plaza, a future gateway to the park. Soccer is a fitting program for one of Montreal’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. Requiring only a ball and a patch of ground, it’s perhaps the most international of sports, and is far more accessible than the province’s beloved hockey. “As a pavilion in the park, the centre presents a new place for different cultures to meet, through the common link of sports,” says Saucier. “Every nationality is together in the building.”

ABOVE The soccer centre sits adjacent a forner quarry, which is in the process of being rehabilitated into Montreal’s second largest park. The vertical striations of the zinc cladding mimic the shear lines on the quarry walls, formed from dynamite blasts used to extract slabs of greystone. BELOW , LEFT TO RIGHT The faceted roof plate arches to form an entrance gateway to the plaza, then flattens into a fence behind the bleachers of the outdoor field; mass timber members set at dynamic angles span the indoor pitch, creating a dramatic roof for soccer games.

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Inside, the symbol of unity is the project’s striking roof: a dynamic lattice in mass timber, manufactured by Nordic Structures, that spans the 68-metre-wide field and bleachers. The system’s primary beams are four-metre-high box constructions, which appear monolithic, but are actually made of glulam top and bottom chords with cross-laminated timber webs. Solid, one-metre-high secondary and smaller tertiary members contribute to cross bracing. Instead of a regular grid, the members are laid on 14-degree angles to generate a pattern of seemingly random diagonals. The visual confusion is deliberate. “It completely shifts your perception,” says Saucier. The lines create an unexpected sense of spaciousness, evoking the paths taken by soccer balls kicked and passed across the field below. All of the project’s other spaces—offices, concessions, change rooms, classrooms, service spaces—are arrayed along a spine to the west. This side of the building is tucked into a two-storey berm that shields

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the site from busy Papineau Avenue; rooms that require daylight pop outward like glass boxes atop the slope. The massing strategy allows the quarry-facing side of the project to be opened up entirely to the landscape, over which a glazed façade provides stunning views. The façade is shielded by an exterior overhang and masked by an 80-percent frit pattern that protects the pitch from glare, yet still manages to feel light and airy. “Achieving a high level of daylighting while ensuring playability was a key issue from a technical standpoint,” says Darryl Condon, FRAIC, of HCMA. “We all thrive under natural light, particularly in our climate.” Outside, standing-seam zinc cladding covers the building. A syncopated rhythm of vertical striations was created using three widths of pre-fabricated panels. The cladding accentuates the faceted shape of the volume, while making reference to the dynamite blasting lines in the quarry’s exposed rock face.

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ABOVE Orange accents at the entrance pick up on the warmth of the wood ceiling above the field.

With large-scale buildings driven by a single concept, certain details assume an enormous importance. Saucier is astute with material selection. “When working mostly with black, white, grey and accents, controlling the colours is very important,” he says. “If you do not take care, it can become boring.” The soccer centre’s colours are anything but: Saucier picked a warm grey for the exterior cladding, which is a fitting pairing with the exposed wood under the eaves. The interior is enlivened with translucent burnt orange panels at the entrance, and a spectrum of colours on the change room doors that shifts gradually from lemon yellow to lime green. Above the field, f luorescent lighting is neatly aligned to the roof members. Other systems, including HVAC and sprinkler lines, follow their own grid. This was deliberate, although incorporating these elements into the wood structural system could have added further to the elegance of the composition. At present, the project feels massive—a soccer pitch is a big surface area, especially when framed with a flat roof. However, this largeness will be mediated as vegetation grows in on the western berm. More importantly, the scale is designed to feel right from the vantage point of the quarry park, where the project will be most often seen as a sculptural object—rather than from the pathway directly alongside the centre, or from Papineau Avenue. Ultimately, the scale delivers where it counts. Inside, the monumental roof creates a grand venue for the game of soccer. It might not be the coziest place for a game of weekday pickup—a neighbourhood park with doffed jackets as goalposts will always be better for that—but for a faceoff between rival schools, or a weekend tournament between semi-pro teams, the Saint-Michel Soccer Centre will be the place to be. “Kids are so excited to play here,” says Saucier. The grandeur of the pitches are enough to make any player, young or old, feel like a soccer star.

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MODEL

1 LOBBY

2 EVENT SPACE 3 BLEACHERS 4 PARTNER

MAIN FLOOR

ORGANIZATION 5 MULTIPURPOSE AREA

6 INTERIOR FIELD 7 EXTERIOR

BLEACHERS

8 EXTERIOR FIELD 9 EXTERIOR

MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPACE

50M

CLIENT VILLE DE MONTRÉAL | ARCHITECT TEAM GILLES SAUCIER, ANDRÉ PERROTTE, DARRYL CON-

DON, TREVOR DAVIES, MICHAEL HENDERSON, LIA RUCCOLO, PATRICE BÉGIN, CHARLES-ALEXANDRE DUBOIS, LESLIE LOK, DAVID MOREAUX, YUTARO MINAGAWA, VEDANTA BALBAHADUR, MARC-ANDRÉ TRATCH, NICK WORTH. | STRUCTURAL NCK INC. | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL BOUTHILLETTE PARIZEAU | LANDSCAPE WAA INC. | INTERIORS SAUCIER+PERROTTE ARCHITECTES / HCMA ARCHITECTS | CONTRACTOR GROUPE TEQ / ASTALDI CANADA | WOOD STRUCTURE NORDIC STRUCTURES | LEED SYNAIRGIS | AREA 12,600 M2 | BUDGET $34.3 M | COMPLETION APRIL 2015

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SHAKE / CHESTNUT

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The CCA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and Hydro-Québec.

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Testa & Weiser, Carbon Tower (prototype): exterior rendering, 2002. Testa & Weiser records, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal. Gift of Peter Testa and Devyn Weiser. © Peter Testa and Devyn Weiser

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VIVE LA LITTÉRATURE! VIVE LA LIBERTÉ!

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Centre

A YOUNG QUEBEC FIRM EXPERIMENTS WITH A UNIQUE PROGRAM IN A HERITAGE SETTING. A YOUNG QUEBEC FIRM BRINGS EXPERIMENTATION TO AN ULTRA-MODERN LITERARY CENTRE ON A HERITAGE SITE.

ABOVE A renovation and addition transform a church in Old Quebec City into a centre for celebrating the province’s literary heritage and fostering a new generation of writers.

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Maison de la littérature de l’Institut Canadien de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec ARCHITECT Chevalier Morales Architectes TEXT Olivier Vallerand PHOTOS Doublespace Photography, unless otherwise noted PROJECT

“Each page of a book is a city. Each line is a street. Each word is a dwelling,” wrote Réjean Ducharme in his first novel, L’avalée des avalés. Authors rarely transform an existing book—but architects often have to add to the existing book of the city, inevitably modifying its meaning in the process.

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ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The former church was gutted as part of the renovation; a custom luminaire recalls a chandelier that hung in the later theatre; sculptural staircases join the three main levels. OPPOSITE Cathedral windows open onto the open volume of the reading room, which includes a variety of spaces for work and study.

Through this lens, how does one transform a 19th century church into a contemporary space dedicated to literary culture and creation? This is the challenge Chevalier Morales Architectes and three other selected firms faced in a 2011 competition to create a Maison de la littérature in Quebec City’s historic core. Chevalier Morales’ winning solution involved the restoration of the church’s vast interior space as a light-filled library, bistro and exhibition venue focused on Quebecois literature. They also added a glass pavilion housing a resident writer’s apartment and a suite of creative studios. Through the paired structures, the architects succeeded in creating a unique and positive hybrid experience. The completed Maison is dedicated to authors and readers, but also acts as an exemplar of adaptive reuse in Quebec City’s historic heart. The Maison de la littérature project was devised by Quebec City’s non-profit Institut Canadien, which owned the former Wesley Methodist Temple, a Neo-Gothic church built in 1848 (the same year that the Institut was founded). Abandoned in the early 1930s after the congregation merged with another, the building was transformed for the first time in the mid-1940s, after Senator Lorne Campbell Webster helped the Institut purchase the Temple to house Quebec City’s

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inaugural public library, as well as a concert hall and its headquarters. The Institut went on to develop the city’s network of public libraries. After the concert hall closed in 1999, it decided to use the extra area to actively foster literary creation. In 2005, it began welcoming writers-in-residence, then announced the 2011 competition to completely transform the building to fit this new program. Opened last fall, the Maison continues the Institut Canadien’s longstanding mission to bring knowledge and culture within everyone’s reach—but also attempts to reimagine the role of literature in today’s digitally dominated landscape. Already in the early 1980s, it advanced a new type of open-plan multimedia library when it was involved in building Quebec’s central library, Bibliothèque Gabrielle-Roy—a design that inspired many later projects, including Montreal’s Grande bibliothèque. With the Maison, the Institut hopes to put Quebec’s rich literature in the spotlight, but also to adapt its presentation to our increasingly dematerialized context by juxtaposing creation, dissemination and exhibition spaces. The goal is to explode the traditional program of a library, breaking down separations between spaces for reading, writing and speaking. The spirit of liberty and exploration that the Institut called for inspired Chevalier Morales’ approach to the competition. While the brief stated

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An oculus in the main floor brings light to a small stage and bistro below; white pillars featuring notable authors are part of an permanent interactive exhibition that weaves through the project, themed around the idea of freedom in Quebec’s literature.

OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM

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that no physical expansion was planned—and that the project should essentially limit itself to an intervention within the existing church’s walls—the architects felt such a solution inappropriate. They took a gamble by proposing an addition to the north of the existing building, on what was formerly a parking lot. The addition accommodates an apartment for a resident writer, and also includes a black-box creation studio, a comic arts studio and the Maison’s mechanical spaces. This move allowed the team to completely open up the vast space of the nave. It also presented opportunities to highlight heritage features, by exposing interior elements more clearly. More fundamentally, it responds to what the architects saw as a conceptual problem. Why try to use a religious building associated with the Anglophone community—even if it has not served as such for more than 70 years—to house a secular institution dedicated to Francophone culture? This is especially resonant since opposition to Church censorship marked the history of the Institut and, later, that of contemporary French Canada. A similar secular approach shapes the layout. Instead of entering through the church door, visitors bypass the religious ceremony by making their way through a side passage between the church and the addition. The image of an ember and a feather in a box frame the beginning of the journey and the start of a permanent exhibition, designed by the architects and themed around the idea of freedom in Quebec’s literature. The path leads through the ground floor literary bistro, a space visually connected to the library above through a luminous opening in the ceiling. To reach the library, visitors ascend a sculptural white spiral staircase with high, opaque structural railings. The stair is similar to ones that Chevalier Morales has designed for other projects. It effectively compresses space to create a dramatic entry into the almost completely white, light-filled library. It also changes the visitors’ point of view: instead of discovering the nave from a traditional axial vision, they enter closer to its centre, with a view of the ceiling. Bookshelves are arrayed along the building’s walls. The central area is occupied by a variety of seating arrangements, while a second staircase leads to a balcony with quiet reading and writing rooms. As called for in the competition, an exhibition is integrated throughout the spaces, with authors’ portraits on white steles, artifact cabinets linked to wireless headphones, and videos of actors reading important works interspersed throughout the bookshelves. The shelves themselves, with many of the top rows currently empty, seem to almost be designed as exhibition elements. Despite their somewhat irreverent approach to the church setting and to the competition brief, Chevalier Morales used a rigorous and well-thought-out process to preserve the existing architecture. They recognized that few people remember the original state of the church and that its later uses and configurations are as important to its history. Thus, they chose to carefully highlight and restore elements from different eras, expressing the bricolage aspect of the church’s various transformations. For example, they uncovered the large original windows (unfortunately without their stained-glass elements, which had been moved to another church in the 1930s), kept the 1950s proscenium arch, and designed a new chandelier that echoes one without much aesthetic or heritage value, but that concert-goers had developed an affection for. Outside, the simple shape of the addition—a glass prism encasing a shining house-like form— uses its volume and setback to defer to and reflect the existing building. From the competition model to its opening, the Maison’s frank but subtle

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SECTION Short section A-A

residence

comic studio

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STORAGE BISTRO ENTERTAINMENT ROOM OFFICE BACKSTAGE ROOM STORAGE/STUDIO TRAINING ROOM

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ABOVE A sunken seating area is part of the literary café on the ground floor; the spiral stair at the edge of the café ascends to the main reading areas on the second floor; a brass-clad bridge links to the addition, which houses exhibition spaces, creative studios, and the apartment for a writer-in-residence.

contemporary expression has been universally celebrated. This is a significant achievement in Old Quebec City, where residents are sensitive to architectural interventions that impact the historic urban fabric. In both program and architectural execution, the project is a brilliant success. Its creation spaces are continuously occupied. Readers, students and writers are always present in large numbers. Some would be there daily if the Maison were not closed on Mondays. More surprisingly, the Maison has already become an important stop in Quebec City’s tourist circuit, with numerous visitors flocking to enjoy its architecture. With the new pavilion of the Musée national des beaux-arts set to open this summer and the success of various other recent projects, Quebec City is slowly emerging as a place for thoughtful contemporary innovation in the urban realm. Chevalier Morales has demonstrated that experimentation pays off. Trusting the design and creation process can lead to inventive solutions that successfully respond to the needs of users. The 19th-century Quebecoise author Laure Conan once wrote, “A good book must always make a true connection between she who wrote it and she who reads it.” The best architecture must do the same. Here is the Maison’s success: it connects a respect for the architectural and institutional heritage of the Institut with an attitude of freedom inspired by Quebec’s literature. Olivier Vallerand is an architect with 1x1x1 Laboratory. He also teaches in the School of Architecture at Université Laval.

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CLIENT VILLE DE QUÉBEC | ARCHITECT TEAM STEPHAN CHEVALIER, SERGIO MORALES, ALEXANDRE

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QUADRANGLE ARCHITECTS

RACE TO THE TOP TEXT

CANADIAN ARCHITECT 06/16

PRACTICE

ABOVE An incubator space at Quadrangle Architects’ offices allows for workshopping with clients early in the design process.

Sharon VanderKaay

AT A TIME WHEN MANY FIRMS COMPETE ON LOW FEES, WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR SETTING HEALTHIER FEE EXPECTATIONS? Designing a Way Forward Architects naturally think outside the box when considering design options—but designing ways out of the low fee box has proven to be more challenging. Recently, I interviewed five Canadian architects who explained how they prepare clients to look beyond lowest fee bidding practices. They each have found ways to apply their design-thinking skills—non-linear reasoning, holistic analysis, “what if?” scenario creation—to think differently about setting fee expectations. Although everyone I spoke with acknowledges ongoing difficulties related to scope, contracts, risk and reward, they all seek ways to make the architectural pie bigger—and to attract clients with new services rather than continuing to carve up the old pie.

Shift Happens It may be difficult to imagine a value-driven “race to the top” that would make today’s tight “race to the bottom” fee structures a dim memory. But change throughout history—from the computer revolution to the green movement—has typically followed the adoption curve below. How can we accelerate this shift in thinking that is only beginning to happen in the realm of architectural fees? One of the most effective ways of tackling entrenched, complex problems is to shine a light on “positive deviant” best practices that have the potential to spread more widely, and thereby change norms. As public awareness of the impact of our built environment grows, leading architects are working with early-adopter clients to expand their professional role and influence. Ever-increasing demand for design that HOW NORMS CHANGE “THIS GIVES ME AN EDGE”

“...THE OLD WAY ISN’T WORKING”

“TIME TO GET ON THE BANDWAGON”

“...I CAN’T REMEMBER THE OLD WAY”

EARLY ADOPTERS

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FAST FOLLOWERS

LAGGARDS

contributes to prosperous cities, communities, businesses and individuals will require thriving, highly knowledgeable architects. Conversely, an undernourished profession is not just bad for architects: every client and every citizen is a potential victim of low-value-for-money projects that stem from inadequate fees. Seven Best Practices What emerged from my five conversations was a common proactive strategy for setting healthier fee expectations. Historically, architects have been successful in selling their services to other architects by presenting their portfolio and showcasing design excellence. However, non-architects require a different approach, and all of the best practice leaders I spoke with promote their services by first addressing client needs, fears and desires. Based on this underlying viewpoint, my interviews identified seven best practices by architects who are thinking beyond architecture as a lowest-price-wins commodity: 1. They promote themselves as project investment counselors. Architects ultimately act as investment advisors, guiding clients to make the best use of their total construction budget and project opportunities. In the financial sector, most successful investment advisors do not sell the cost to produce their advice; they sell the value of their services in the eyes of investors. “Value pricing is the only way to survive,” says David Premi, MRAIC, principal of DPAI Architecture in Hamilton. A significant percentage of DPAI’s practice is kept busy working with private sector clients who set out to maximize their whole investment in the project, rather than focusing on the fee in isolation. “They choose us for the level of thinking required to develop their site to its full potential and create a legacy project,” says Premi. “It is very difficult to deliver the kind of quality that a client and the public deserve if services are procured solely on the basis of low fee.” 2. They sell specific benefits that the client is buying. Commodity pricing happens when clients see marketplace sameness. In reality, there may be big differences between firms, but these contrasts are often hidden behind numbingly similar descriptions (e.g. “integrated process” or “multi-disciplinary team”) rather than phrases detailing outstanding benefits and eliciting emotional responses (e.g. “our approach leads to better answers” or “we design places people love”). Few clients are able to compare and evaluate marketing claims of “design excellence.” Rather than rely on decision makers to see design quality as a competitive advantage, best practice firms sell the thinking

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38 capabilities that result in a better design. They emphasize the benefits of their specific design process and quality of client interaction. They explain how these talents and approaches enable greater insight into a client’s issues and opportunities. Throughout the process of setting healthier fee expectations, it is vital to address a client’s fears before moving up to the aspirations that can positively motivate buying decisions. HIERARCHY OF CLIENT NEEDS

R PI

NS IO AT CREATE A LEGACY

PROUD OF RESULTS AVOID HEADACHES AVOID CRITICISM FE

KEEP MY JOB WHAT MOTIVATES CLIENTS?

3. They look upstream to help clients get the best value from their selection process. It is common practice at the pre-proposal stage to request a meeting with decision makers to show them relevant work—and to hopefully gain greater insight into client concerns and project issues. Maureen O’Shaughnessy, FRAIC, principal at Toronto firm CS&P Architects, has used that meeting to take an active role in changing the basic terms of engagement. While recognizing that price-shopping mindsets are deeply ingrained, she has had some success when advising public-sector clients on how to improve their RFP content and their selection process. Involving major sub-consultants in these upstream client conversations has been particularly effective. Rather than dwell on consequences for the architect (a strategy unlikely to motivate change), she emphasizes why valuebased selection terms are in the purchaser’s best interest. Clients cannot be expected to see all of their opportunities to deliver better value for the taxpayer, but increasing awareness incrementally can help. David Premi adds, “The Broader Public Sector Directive (BPS) acknowledges the public interest in this regard, by exempting architects from its requirements. Purchasing agents are often surprised to hear this when we bring it to their attention. It is far more straightforward to focus on price. But the untold damage and missed opportunity in the built environment is incalculable.” 4. They are more than happy to explain their fee rationale. Questioning the fee does not mean there is anything wrong with the fee. Can you imagine buying a service in another sector without understanding the basis for the price? Questions about the fee should be seen as a matter of due diligence. Also, remember that asking for a cost reduction is common business practice, rather than a time for defensiveness. When a client questions the dollar amount, this is the time to sell the fee and demonstrate your good sense, not drop your price. At the same time, fees need to be anchored to something clients can relate to, or they will be perceived as arbitrary. This could mean explaining how your price compares to projects of a similar complexity and size that clients would say delivered solid value, rather than lowest cost. There are ways to explain your fee that can increase the client’s committment to you. Jamie Wright, FRAIC, director of Toronto’s IBI Group, says, “Engaging the client in the discussion definitely helps. Getting both the type and amount of services right happens through diagnostic questions that demonstrate you have foresight. Most often, clients come away from these conversations saying, ‘I didn’t think of that!’” “The client may need additional front end services before you can

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do the work requested, such as site selection or feasibility,” says Wright. “This is an opportunity for you to highlight your due diligence, rather than focusing negotiations narrowly on the fee.” 5. They can explain why clients should be terrified of low fee bidding. “Clients cannot fully appreciate the realities of inadequate fees unless we tell them,” says Bill Birdsell, FRAIC, a Guelph-based architect and immediate past president of the Ontario Association of Architects. “There are direct and indirect project costs to underbidding that can be many times higher than the fee. Every architect knows the truth and we are doing a disservice to clients if we sugar-coat potential negative consequences.” There are reasons to be wary of lowest price construction bids—and the same goes for architects, engineers and every other kind of professional service. It’s the nature of low bidders to make promises they can’t keep. “The term ‘lessons learned’ is a strong way to communicate that you’ve had a bad experience with scope or terms, and are willing to share that experience,” says Jamie Wright. “This signals that you’re probably going to walk away if you can’t do a proper job, which will likely have an impact on the negotiations.” Sometimes low bidders are desperate for work, so clients need to see the red flags. A low fee needs to be justified. The reality is that awarding a large percentage of points for lowest rate adds unnecessary risk to the project. What should clients beware of? Give them examples of how to avoid the expensive problems, costly omissions, stressful adversarial relationships and wasteful side effects of price chopping. It’s time to use the emotional language that other professions rely on to convey low bid project dangers: “go south,” “pitfalls,” “regrets,” “hidden costs” and the memorable “stink bid.” 6. They see a knowledge-driven “race to the top” fueled by changing client needs. “As compared with 10, or even five years ago, our clients today have much higher expectations of what the right design can do to advance their business agenda,” says Marco VanderMaas, senior associate and design director at Quadrangle in Toronto. “They’re generally more worldly and sophisticated; they’ve seen the potential for design on an international scale.” Quadrangle has developed a diagnostic design process that showcases the firm’s big-picture thinking. Clients are invited into the studio’s “incubator space”—a meeting area in the midst of the open-plan office— for an intense exploration of strategic issues and opportunities. Their facilitated, inquiry-based process ultimately saves time while providing clients with deeper insight into their own business. “It allows us to immerse the client in a strategic discovery process so they see the extra value we provide,” says VanderMaas. “We make our thinking visible rather than hiding it, and we work through exciting ideas together rather than having to convince clients to approve an approach or option that they may not otherwise fully understand.” 7. They talk, write, behave, and design as humans working with humans. Jamie Wright has experienced the advantages of candid, plain talk during the architectural selection process. “These events can be very stilted— or they can communicate how we will really think and act if we work together. I’ve seen projects won by making human connections with decision makers, getting beyond generic language and demonstrating empathy for the client’s concerns.” “In the end, fee negotiation is an art, not a science,” says Wright. This realization underscores the importance of creative thinking and a human-centric approach to breaking out of the low bidding box. Sharon VanderKaay has written seven practice articles for Canadian Architect on selling design services in the knowledge era. Her frontline experience as a designer includes 25 years working for Toronto-based international architecture firms.

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SSAC conference

Building Lasting Change

Design Exchange Auction

CSLA annual congress

June 1-4, 2016

June 6-8, 2016

June 14, 2016

June 23-25, 2016

www.dx.org

www.csla-aapc.ca

The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada partners with the Saskatchewan Association of Architects to hold a conference in Regina themed around how buildings embody knowledge.

Focusing on green building developments, this Toronto speaker series includes presentations by Paul de Ruiter, Kathy Gerwig, Oliver Lang and others. www.cagbc.org

This second annual event in support of the Design Exchange features contemporary and vintage objects, housewares and furnishings curated from the private collections of Canadian stylemakers.

www.canada-architecture.org

Charlotte Perriand: Her Legacy and Vision of Design

The Stop Night Market

Grey to Green conference

June 8, 2016

June 14-15, 2016

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Over 50 technical presentations held in Toronto will cover subjects ranging from best practices in lifecycle cost and benefit analysis, to the latest research on green infrastructure. www.greytogreenconference.org

This Montreal master class with Pernette Perriand-Barsac, daughter of Charlotte Perriand, explores success stories in design entrepreneurship. masterclasses.index-design.ca

Festival of Architecture

Returning for its fifth year, this Toronto fundraiser for a community food centre features snacks and beverages made by area chefs, and served from over 35 carts created by local design teams using recycled materials. nightmarket.thestop.org

Taking place at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, the national landscape architecture conference is themed around local inspiration, and includes a keynote address by Ken Greenberg, FRAIC.

CANADIAN ARCHITECT 06/16

CALENDAR

Opening weekend: Pierre Lassonde pavilion June 24-26, 2016

The opening festivities for the Musée national des beaux arts du Québec’s newest building include performances, outdoor exhibitions and free admission to the galleries. www.mnbaq.org

June 8-11, 2016

Doors Open June 4-5, 2016

Ottawa and Halifax host a free annual event that opens the doors of their cities’ most prestigious buildings for visitors to enjoy over the weekend. www.ottawa.ca

www.doorsopenhalifax.com

The RAIC heads to Nanaimo, British Columbia, with a 2016 conference designed to engage the public as well as architects from across the country. The Festival includes keynote presentations, con-ed sessions, tours and a design charrette. festival2016.raic.org

Security Canada West June 15, 2016

Security professionals from western Canada and the United States gather in Richmond, British Columbia, to network and review the latest innovations in technology, products and services. www.securitycanadaexpo.com

Archaeology of the Digital: Complexity and Convention To October 16, 2016

The third installment in the CCA’s series on the use of digital tools in architecture, this exhibition examines 15 seminal projects from the 1990s and 2000s. www.cca.qc.ca

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BACKPAGE

CABOT SQUARE REDUX TEXT

Peter Sealy Thomas Miau

PHOTOS

AFFLECK DE LA RIVA’S SENSITIVE RENOVATION OF MONTREAL’S CABOT SQUARE PRODUCES AN INCLUSIVE SPACE THAT MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES CAN COMFORTABLY INHABIT. Cabot Square long marked the western entrance to Montreal’s centre-ville. However, since the Montreal Canadiens left the neighbouring Forum in 1996, the square and its surroundings have been better known for their boarded-up storefronts and the presence of a large itinerant population. A design charrette began to address the situation in 2008, followed by public consultations leading to an area masterplan in 2011. While the ability of architecture to remediate economic and social ills is limited, it can serve to keep open certain possibilities that might otherwise be foreclosed amidst rapidly changing circumstances. This is exactly what Affleck de la Riva’s rehabilitation of Cabot Square offers. Working with City of Montreal architect Wade Eide and landscape architects Fahey et associés, they have re-urbanized a significant public space, valorizing its centrality at the heart of an evolving neighbourhood. First laid out as a Victorian design in 1890, Cabot Square has seen many iterations. Frederick Todd designed a picturesque garden there in the 1930s, and Wendy Graham reinterpreted it in a postmodern language in 1996. Affleck de la Riva recognized the utility of the original “union jack” plan with its diagonal

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axes, but softened its edges, marking them with a series of curving, white concrete benches. These protect large areas of vegetation from unwanted intrusions, offer comfortable seating and almost imperceptibly guide foot traffic through the square. The architects replaced the square’s dirt paths with a permeable paving material, Solepave, which allows groundwater to pass through. The whitish covering offers a resilient surface that is noticeably more forgiving underfoot then the concrete sidewalks surrounding the square. In summer, Cabot Square is covered by one of Montreal’s most impressive tree canopies, creating an oasis amidst the city centre’s many heat islands. Faced with the mandate to remediate a public space that many considered unsafe, the architects have acted sensitively, seeking to produce an inclusive place that multiple communities may call home. Within the square, the architects renovated a splendid 1931 pavilion to serve as a community outreach centre for the First Nations population that frequents the area, and who often face discrimination, precarious living conditions and difficulty accessing public services. The pavilion also houses the indigenousstaffed Roundhouse Café. Unfortunately, while

LEFT TO RIGHT The revamped Cabot Square maintains the circulation pattern of the original plaza while giving it a contemporary feel; curving concrete benches create a soft barrier between pedestrian spaces and planted areas.

Affleck de la Riva intelligently enlarged the square by removing an unneeded bus lane, their remit did not extend to the awkward Métro entrance obscuring the square’s northwest corner. Cabot Square is praiseworthy for using simple gestures to amplify the qualities of the public realm. Meanwhile, around it, all is changing. New condominium and student housing towers have sprung up to the east, while debate rages as to the future of the former Montreal Childrens’ Hospital to the south. To the question of what will happen to the hospital—the likely answer is more condos—we may add another: what should happen to the old Forum? Its late-1990s conversion into a cineplex with shops and restaurants has never been successful, and the ghosts of Howie Morenz, Toe Blake and Maurice Richard decamped long ago. Affleck de la Riva’s project for the 2008 charrette offered a logical solution: demolish the Forum and divide its site between an office tower and an extension of Cabot Square. While controversial, this move would create an impressive entrance to downtown Montreal, while also—finally—providing a fitting commemoration for the historic Forum. Peter Sealy is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University.

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