Saint-Jean Garrison is a military training and leadership campus located southeast of Montreal, anchored by a formidable 1,300,000 sf, 10-storey building known as the “Mega Complex” that contains classrooms, residences, social amenities, and recreation facilities for new recruits, returning soldiers, and officers.  This project expands the recreational facilities required at the Garnison and at the same time rationalizes/renovates much of the support spaces to create an expansive sport/fitness hub at one end of the Mega Complex.   The new building consists of a 112,000 s.f. addition containing a 52,700 s.f. field house gymnasium with the indoor track as well as a two-storey structure comprising 16,000 s.f. of exercise and weight rooms and 44,000 s.f. of training rooms, offices, change and storage rooms. In addition, comprehensive renovation of the change rooms and support spaces for the existing gym and indoor pool have improved functional flows in this very active section of the building.

The Gymnasium is a freestanding structure measuring 52’ high and bordered by a 4-lane track that encircles the playing courts. It can accommodate 3 NBA-sized basketball courts, multiple court configurations for other sports, and be separated from the track and one another by a retractable vertically drawn curtain. The floor is a rubberized multipurpose athletic surface that allows for various sports uses and troop/trainee assemblies.  Acoustic treatment of the ceiling and walls, along with abundant daylighting from lower-level windows produces a comfortable and healthy environment.  Two large exercise rooms are stacked above each other and have a full view of the gym.  Offices, training rooms and change rooms are located within a 2-storey link which connects the gymnasium and exercise rooms to the existing “Mega” structure.  The south facing facade of the gymnasium features a multi-storey Solar Wall that collects heat gain and transfer that heat into the building’s mechanical ventilation system.  The facility was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification by the CaGBC.

Team:

Architects: ZAS Architects + Interiors

Other Participant: FABRIQ

Photographer: Adrien Williams