Posted on November 25, 2020 by lmc_admin_fs -
Downtown’s first climbing center set up in a former Red Light movie theater.
Filled with ambition, two young Montreal climbers started looking downtown for a building big enough to accommodate their bouldering passion. They eventually settled on an abandoned Red Light movie theater and transformed it into a climbing center. Beyond the sporting activity, they sought to create a place where the growing community of urban climbers could meet.
Driven by this inclusive vision, the architects created a friendly place where the coffee lover can mingle with the expert climber. To take advantage of natural light, large windows were added on Saint-Laurent Boulevard and on the mezzanine. The long black façade features the café and the block wall on either side of the main entrance, which is overhung by a large false façade clad with perforated aluminum that overshadows the old Casino cinema.
Inside, the bouldering walls on either side of the space converge on a large podium offering spectacular views of the climbers and leading to the mezzanine with its dressing rooms and rest area. A large part of the furniture is built from demolition scraps. With its large walls painted by muralist Danae Brissonnet, Café Bloc offers 4000 square feet of climbing walls and a vibrant atmosphere! Welcome to the Red Light district of the 2020s!
Posted on October 1, 2020 by lmc_admin_fs -
A post-war house opens up to the Cité-Jardin !
How to live in the city without compromising high quality outdoor spaces? Located in the heart of the “Cité-Jardin du Tricentenaire”, the small serial house type MC1 takes up the challenge! Rethought from the inside, it is now adapted to the needs of a young family. The strategic transformation of its dormer window increases the living space upstairs while maintaining its original footprint. The compact and functional living spaces on the first floor are organized around a central circulation and offer numerous visual breakthroughs to the outside. The soft and homogeneous palette of interior finishes contrasts with the site’s lush vegetation.
The quality of the intervention is based on its simplicity. In respect with the historical context of this post-war neighborhood, the original features of the small house have been maintained, preserving its charm. The new, very generous openings at the rear transform the residence into a veritable observation and interaction device with the garden. This approach enhances the ideals that founded this low-density urban development, which still serves as a model for rethinking the city… in times of pandemic !
Posted on August 31, 2020 by lmc_admin_fs -
Century-old corner building – densified !
Located at the busy intersection of Beaubien and de Lorimier Streets, this compact two-storey building was next to an outdated car dealership. The development project added eleven apartments and two retail units on three floors and a mezzanine, all without compromising the original volume.
Intended to accommodate local shops on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors, the new rental building blends harmoniously into this human-scale neighborhood. The extension is built on the dominant alignment on Beaubien. On the first floor, the large windows open generously onto the commercial street. The entrances to the apartments are accentuated by recesses in the facade.
Light, the volume of the 3rd floor blends into the sky thanks to its large openings and its rhythmic silver metallic cladding. Strategic setbacks offer residents generous terraces that bring the roof to life. By linking the century-old corner building to its extension, this long horizontal volume “crowns” the transformation !
Posted on April 14, 2020 by lmc_admin_fs -
The Ordre des architectes du Québec is reorganizing its offices to better reflect the new structure of the organization.
Issued from an architectural competition launched in January 2013, the headquarters of the Ordre des architectes du Québec no longer met its growing and changing needs. To address this situation, the Board of Directors asked McComber’s expertise with three objectives in mind: rethinking the reception area, optimizing and reorganizing work spaces and improving the overall acoustics.
The custom-designed furniture, built by local craftsmen, cleverly combines steel, felt and wood. Its modular design allows each team to arrange it according to their specific needs. In total, fifteen additional workstations are added to the office. The use of felt privacy screens and heavy cotton curtains reduces reverberation in open areas. At the entrance, the sinuous, user-friendly geometry of the large reception counter provides an active waiting area for visitors. The boardroom is expanded and soundproofed with a long glass wall lined with climbing plants. Its large solid walnut table can accommodate up to 20 people. The design echoes with character the original palette developed by Intégral Jean-Beaudoin. The new geometry with rounded shapes contrasts with the clean lines of the original layout. The Ordre des architectes du Québec can be proud to have participated in one of its great missions: quality in architecture!
Posted on September 25, 2019 by lmc_admin_fs -
A new mixed-use building featuring eight dwellings houses the firm’s offices, a short walk from Plaza Saint-Hubert!
The dwellings are organised around a large inner courtyard which provides access through two carriage entrances. Half of the apartments open on Saint-Hubert Street while the other half faces the alleyway. Apart from the two studios on the 2nd floor, each apartment has its own mezzanine that opens on to a large private terrace. The double height thus created provides the living room with a beautiful natural light.
The exterior finishes opposes a matt and horizontal Saint-Marc stone with a vertical and ultra-reflective steel cladding. In the inner courtyard, the cladding brings light to the two commercial spaces on the ground floor, warming the souls of the architects who will establish their practice there. Built below the sidewalk, the two identical storefronts open on Saint-Hubert Street, inviting passers-by on their way back from the Plaza.
Posted on September 25, 2015 by lmc_admin_fs -
A trivial space is transformed into a cutting edge and welcoming dermatology clinic.
Despite its large windows facing east onto Avenir Boulevard and south onto the Montmorency metro station parking lot in Laval, the current office—home to a paediatric clinic since 2006—is dark and uninspiring. Exposing the ceiling and knocking down walls transforms this into a large open-plan space with translucent elements serving different functions within the clinic, letting the abundant natural light filter in all around.
Six examination rooms, featuring frosted glass ceilings, are set back and form a long white wall punctuated by six high wooden doors. With its imposing opalescent glass wall and lowered ceiling, the relaxation room next to the entrance and waiting room looks like a bright, almost glowing cube. Light therapy machines sit imposingly in the centre, behind reception. The curved glass walls that encapsulate them give away their function, as they emit an entrancing purple light when in operation.
A long, solid ash reception desk wraps around this central core, forming a “U” with an entrance on either of the two ends: dermatology (main entrance) and light therapy (secondary entrance). The signage, graphically striking and seamlessly weaved into the architecture, is designed by Atelier Chinotto. The invigorating light alone that bathes the entire space has the power to heal! Clinique D diaphane—brought to life by light! Read the full story or see the full set of drawings.
Posted on May 27, 2014 by lmc_admin_lmc -
An artisan bakery and its production are staged in a commercial space on boulevard Saint-Laurent.
When he moved his business to a larger space, the artisanal baker wanted to maintain an intimate relationship with his customers. To achieve this goal, the architect placed his baking production centre stage, in plain view of the customer. From flour storage to ement, kneading and shaping, rising and baking, the trajectory from ingredients to dough and then to bread is exposed to curious onlookers. Stored on the mezzanine, the flour is combined with water and yeast in a large dough mixer forming part of the guard rail. A stainless-steel dough chute transports the soon-to-be bread to the ground floor. Clearly visible, the oven stands imposingly in the central axis of the space as a symbol of abundance. Made from laser-cut steel components, the bread racks are built around removable baskets that make it easy to place the bread on display. In front of the bakery, a long safety-yellow band catches the attention of people strolling along Saint-Laurent Boulevard, with the word “boulangerie” on one side, and “Guillaume” on the other.
Posted on January 1, 2011 by lmc_admin_lmc -
A new four-unit residential building is being built on Fairmount Avenue in Montreal.
Built up directly next to Fairmount Avenue’s sidewalk, the building welcomes residents on its west-facing side, which allows for the site’s most abundant inflow of light. This layout lights up the building’s main façade, whose three window bands flood each living area with natural light. Each dwelling has its own outdoor space. The main floor opens directly onto a yard encircled by a small brick wall. The second floor enjoys a fantastic view of Boulevard St-Laurent from their large loggia, while the 3rd floor dwellings have a spectacular view of the city from each of their mezzanine’s terraces.
