The former Montreal Chest Institute will be revived as Inspire Bio Innovations, a major life sciences hub that will bring together leading researchers and professionals from the biopharmaceutical industry. The redevelopment project has gained international recognition by receiving the title of Future Office: Project of the Year and was honoured with a WAFX Award, highlighting its innovative approach to tomorrow's challenges: successfully repurposing an abandoned urban infrastructure, enhancing community resilience, and incorporating sustainable development.
Constructed in the 1930s as the Royal Edward Institute, the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) was a key medical centre in the history of Montreal and Quebec. A surgical wing was added in the 1950s. Neglected and finally abandoned, the campus will now be revived as a new life sciences hub specializing in research into respiratory illnesses, continuing the site's original vocation at the foot of Mount Royal.
Located in the heart of downtown Montreal and the university quadrilateral, directly across from the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), Inspire Bio Innovations is emerging as the centrepiece of the life sciences ecosystem. This dynamic hub will bring together major pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, research institutes, students, university researchers, and innovative start-ups to collaboratively accelerate the development of scientific discoveries and make them accessible worldwide. Ultimately, the project will provide 450,000 square feet dedicated to advancing the life sciences.
Phase 1, currently under construction, will host the global headquarters of CellCarta, a leading provider of specialized precision medical laboratory services to the biopharmaceutical industry. The second phase will bring together researchers and health technology companies in a new nine-storey addition that matches the height of the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM), located just to the north. A glazed atrium and rooftop garden will create a simplified, light massing that will expand and frame views of the mountain, create a common meeting point and provide teaching spaces for the growing life sciences community.
