The Maisonneuve Library
Adrien Williams
製品スペックシート

エレメントブランド商品名
Metal, historical doorsM&B Métalliers
AcousticsOctave
Ornamental plastersPlâtres Artefact
Stone CuttersSculpteur Tailleur de Pierre
Stained glassStudio du verre

製品スペックシート
Metal, historical doors
M&B Métalliers さんの
Acoustics
Octave さんの
Ornamental plasters
Plâtres Artefact さんの
Stone Cutters
Stained glass
Studio du verre さんの

The Maisonneuve Library: Dancing Between Two Eras

EVOQ Architecture 建築家 として

The City of Montreal, one of Canada’s urban gems, is known for its thriving cultural scene and its rich architectural heritage. What visitors often miss, however, is the gentle, yet radical transformation occurring in pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods away from downtown.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

For the last twenty years, as urban designers were busy redefining street life, architects were building—or remodeling—numerous public amenities such as theaters, sports facilities, and libraries. One striking example of this transformative process is the Maisonneuve Library, housed since 1981 in what once was a small, but prestigious city hall for the short-lived City of Maisonneuve.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

As the need to upgrade and expand the facility became more and more pressing, Montreal launched a multidisciplinary design competition in 2017. The winning team was a consortium of Montreal firms led by EVOQ Architecture and Dan Hanganu Architects (now part of EVOQ).

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

A major transformation

Officially opened in June 2023, the carefully restored 1912 building, with its glazed extensions, illustrates how the past can enrich the present, and vice versa. It was highly praised by the Québec association of librarians and archivists, Fédération des milieux documentaires, which selected the Maisonneuve Library as the winner of its 2023 Architecture Award. This recognition takes on particular value coming from the very professionals who, on a daily basis, are in close contact with libraries and their patrons.

The book-centred archetype, which dictated the layout of libraries through most of the 20th century, no longer prevails, as recent libraries have taken on a new role and often act as social hubs in their respective communities. The Maisonneuve branch is no exception. Its transformation, which allowed it to expand from 1,240 to 3,594 square meters, provided it with an opportunity to reinvent itself and meet the needs of a more inclusive and constantly evolving society.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

One of the most important decisions taken by the architectural team was to rehabilitate the historic building and bring it back to its original splendour. The stone façades and the monumental doors were carefully restored, as were the original plaster mouldings, wood panelling, and mosaic floors. The piano nobile’s marble staircase, and its two imposing stained-glass features, were carefully repaired. The alignment of the new curtain wall and the rhythm of its brise-soleil were dictated by the historic building’s neo-classical colonnade.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

Key to the design concept was the introduction of a “tower” element off the east wing. A clear statement of the library’s contemporary identity, it contains a new vertical circulation core and serves as the library’s main entrance. Users with reduced mobility can easily enter the premises and reach the elevator, giving them full access to each floor, as well as access to a small roof terrace. The exterior stone steps no longer serve their initial function, except for rare occasions like ceremonial events. They mostly provide exterior seating for users and passersby.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

Another move, which reflects the architects’ preoccupation with heritage issues, was to leave a full-height void on either side of the former city hall as a constant reminder to users of what was once there. Stunning views of the imposing columns are provided as users make their way through the building. Steel portals and spatial voids emphasize the transition from the light-filled contemporary wings to the more subdued ambiance of the original structure.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

A library for everyone

The reception area, directly accessible from the street, acts as an orientation device for the library’s different audiences. Young children are led down towards a succession of playful spaces, while teenagers head upwards to the second level, where a variety of creative amenities such as a medialab, an animation studio, and a small video games room await them. The upper two floors of the former city hall—as well as the west wing’s top level—serve a clientele looking for quiet reading and study areas. A partly cantilevered ‘silent room’, is aligned with nearby traditional balconies, overlooking Pie-IX Boulevard.

As one approaches the west wing from the outside, an intriguing set of open bookshelves attracts attention. This live-in modular environment was designed to respond to children’s desire for adventure.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

A sustainable building

A collaborative approach ensured the delivery of a sustainable building and site. Professionals involved in this project complied with current standards of sustainable practice, including those pertaining to the protection of cultural diversity and biodiversity.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

Highly efficient electromechanical systems were introduced to maximize thermal comfort, while keeping energy consumption at a minimum. Geothermal energy was a key factor in providing for the library’s heating and cooling needs. The addition of radiant floors further ensured the comfort of library patrons. Various other low energy devices were integrated in the project.

The curtain wall system, designed with integrated solar protection, effective thermal breaks, and low-emissivity thermal glazing units, greatly contributes to reach optimal performance. An application has been filed to obtain LEED Gold accreditation.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

The neighbourhood

The Maisonneuve Library is located on Ontario Street, an east-west axis which has undergone a radical transformation over the last decade. Still standing are a few early 20th century buildings, such as the former Maisonneuve Market, inspired by the City Beautiful movement. Today, distinctive paving subtly signals the presence of these memorable buildings and is an invitation to discover them.

The integration of the new library into this historically significant district was entrusted to civiliti, an urban design firm that formed part of the initial consortium. They designed a series of urban and landscape interventions, establishing seamless links between the library’s private grounds and the public domain. A public art sculpture by artist Clément de Gaulejac was installed in a playful court directly accessible from the children’s activity room. It stands quietly as a reminder of another era.

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

Many professionals contributed to this project, as did remarkable artisans, without whom it would have been impossible to restore the beauty of the old city hall. A statement from the 2017 competition jury report perhaps best reflects the spirit of the new Maisonneuve Library, described as “a beautiful dance between eras, between exterior and interior, and between active and contemplative.”

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

Team:

Clients: Ville de Montréal, SGPI, Jabiz Sharifian

Arrondissement Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: RAC, Julie Leclair, Bibliothèque Maisonneuve, Marie-Ève Leprohon

Architects: EVOQ Architecture

Gilles Prud'homme
Sylvie Peguiron
Marianne Leroux
Nathan Godlovitch
Anne-Catherine Richard
Lynda Labrecque
Alexis Charbonneau
Georges Drolet

Architect historic building:

Louis-Joseph Cajetan Dufort 
Landscape achitects: civiliti

Envelope: ULYS Collectif

Structure: NCK

Civil: Génipur

Mechanical and electrical: Pageau Morel

Envelope, quality control: UL CLEB

Elevator Specialists: EXIM

Doors, hardware specialists: ARD

Commissioning: Cima+

Photographer: Adrien Williams

photo_credit Adrien Williams
Adrien Williams

Materials Used:

Furniture, signage and multimedia: GSMProject

Ergonomics: Vincent Ergonomie

Lighting: LightFactor

Sustainability: WSP

Acoustics: Octave

Metal, historical doors: M&B Métalliers

Mosaic: Artès Métiers d’art

Ornamental plasters: Plâtres Artefact

Masonry: Maçonnerie Rainville et Frères

Conservator, masonry: Trevor Gillingwater 

Stone cutters: Alexandre, Tailleurs de pierres + sculpteurs

Stained glass: Studio du verre

Artist, public art: Clément de Gaulejac   

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