Inaugurated this week, the Sciences at the Université de Montréal’s MIL Campus is a major new scientific complex with nearly 60,000 m² of floor space to accommodate 200 professors and researchers and 2,000 students. Aiming for LEED NC OR certification, the design speaks to the neighbourhood and in particular, Mount Royal. The design comes from Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux | Lemay | NFOE Architects.
For this new urban campus, for which the University desired a strong identity, the architects sought a component that would unify it with the main campus on the north side of Mount Royal. They therefore introduced elements of the mountain, a place intimately related to the University’s brand image and history. Through the project’s architectural design and perspectives, nature invites itself inside, both concretely via the agora gardens (planted with species native to Mount Royal) and other green spaces, and via its relief shaped by buildings and pedestrian connections.
A graphic silkscreen printing process, reminiscent of the marshalling yard’s railway tracks, is integrated into the glass of the building envelope and contributes to the project’s distinctive identity. As most spaces are destined for collaborative work, teaching and research laboratories, the choice of large windows was essential. Their glass has been carefully selected to form a lightweight and high-performance curtain wall. This is a glass that, combined with the lines of the silkscreen printing, improves thermal comfort and promotes a strong visual identity for this new Université de Montréal landmark.
New spaces adapted for teaching, research and innovation:
The Science Complex consists of two hubs (the science hub and the teaching hub), articulated on either side of a north-south axis crossing through the site: “the blue line,” a common thread connecting neighbourhoods on each side of the railway tracks, green spaces, public places and university buildings. The site’s spatial composition is conceived as branches, spreading throughout and crossing public spaces at different levels. "A project of this scale requires a bold architectural response to create a place of synergy that supports scientific innovation, says Pierre Larouche, Partner in charge, also a UdeM graduate. It provides researchers and students with an environment conducive to the work and research that will address many global issues.”
