Awards

Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Award of Excellence in Steel Construction, Green Building Category, 2005

Contech Awards, Innovation in Sustainable Development, 2003

Normand Maurice Building. Based on flexibility of space and a sustainable mandate, a shared government facility serves as a catalyst for the revitalization of a historic Montreal neighbourhood.

The original 740 Bel Air Street complex was built between 1851 and 1950 on a 112,000 sf lot near downtown Montreal, and served as a storage facility for several government agencies for about 15 years. As part of the PWGSC’s regional investment strategy, the objective of this project was to build a new multi-client Government of Canada building on the site. The combined occupied space requirements of the tenants were estimated to be 169,000 sf of warehouse and office space. The new Normand Maurice Building meets the armoury housing and storage requirements of the Donnacona Naval Reserve of the Department of National Defence (DND), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), as well as providing 209,500 sf of shared parking space. The St. Henri district of Montreal has been undergoing revitalization for some time. The new armoury provides an activity hub and visible federal government presence in the neighbourhood. This new investment is consonant with the government objective of promoting investments that help rehabilitate communities. Busby Perkins+Will partnered with ABCP Architecture & Urbanisme and Beauchamp-Bourbeau Architectes for this project and focused the design on providing maximum flexibility in the immediate and future use of the space. A building grid with column spacing, fenestration, and service runs suited to the most flexible interior space arrangements was used. The character, massing, scale, and materials of this project were all designed to be simple, yet high quality, and compatible with the surrounding context. The project uses the most sustainable building methods possible. Special attention was paid to the recovery of construction materials and energy conservation. Approximately 50% to 95% of waste in the project was recycled, reduced, or reused. Following the demolition phase, some parts of the existing buildings were left intact and integrated into the new complex. Operating costs of the facility are kept as low as possible by strict adherence to energy conservation principles. A LEED Gold rating is anticipated.