Chevalier Morales is thrilled to announce that the Mont-Laurier Library project has received a Canadian Architect Award of Merit. These prestigious awards are presented annually, recognizing outstanding architectural achievements in areas such as conceptual, material, and procedural innovation; exemplary sustainability strategies; and support for social justice, reconciliation, equity, and inclusion. This peer recognition is of great importance for the firm’s collaborators, reaffirming the team's ongoing commitment to creating architecture that strives to innovate in how it engages with modern realities in both construction and design.
Located in the heart of the Hautes-Laurentides, an area rich with trees and mountains, the Mont-Laurier Library site serves as an accessible and inclusive public space. It strategically connects the main artery to the commercial avenue of Rue de la Madone, positioned at the gateway to downtown from Route 117.
The project's tectonics are deeply rooted in the region's historical narrative, which is closely tied to the early development of the forestry industry in Quebec. Wood is thus a prominent feature throughout the library, highlighting the heritage this raw material represents for the Hautes-Laurentides and its residents, as well as the strengths and unique characteristics of the local wood industry and the region's resources and ingenuity.
The project received significant support from the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks in the form of a $1 million grant from the innovation in wood construction program. This grant was awarded due to the innovative design of a square-frame reciprocal wood structure developed in collaboration with the structural engineers at Latéral; a first for a new institutional building in Quebec and Canada.
Developed and optimized to become a full-scale prototype of a fully reproducible and factory-prefabricated system, the innovative reciprocal framework concept aligns with a vision to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with construction by reusing these elements.
