Le Within : A true living artwork in the heart of Montreal
By transforming a Shaughnessy Village historical building into student lofts, Sid Lee Architecture and Canora Real Estate Agency propose an exceptional living environment to the Montreal student community, inviting them to dive into a carefully curated experience where inspiration can be found within each object and each room.
Not satisfied with merely redefining student housing, Le Within elevates its standards. The project participates in the revitalization of the city’s downtown core by skillfully blending tradition and modernity to create a new and remarkable immersive experience.
Manifesto
Creating a real estate brand implies defining how it expresses itself, how it behaves, and how it feels. This is the steppingstone for the future of Le Within. The inception of this project came from a simple statement: students feed off the energy that surrounds them. To make their years in the classroom memorable, they require an environment that is both safe and inspiring. This is what Le Within promises - student lofts that replicate a microcosm that is typically Montreal.
The residence was created to offer a plethora of opportunities to its residents to allow them to connect to the city’s pulse and to realize their full potential. Living at Le Within means being part of a community conducive to self-discovery, where students are encouraged to become architects of their own journey by letting their imagination roam free.
“The project reflects a daring commercial vision, fulfilling the needs of the ever-expanding student population," says Charles Paiement, president of Canora. "Le Within is an invitation to experience the city differently, by transforming each instant into a learning experience.” adds
This narrative is indeed supported by four design pillars: duality, immersion, modularity, and urbanity.
Duality
Through a thoughtful selection of colors, shapes, textures, and styles, Le Within unveils a subtle play on contrasts. The interaction between the traditional and contemporary design elements, notably present within the brand’s identity, reflects an intergenerational sensibility. This visual tension between heritage and modernity addresses both the residents of Le Within and their parents.
Immersion
The principle of a frame within a frame offers a deep sensory experience that transcends the simple functionality of a space. This mise en abyme is expressed through the architecture, the furniture, and the object – where repetition of materials, such as glass blocks, 4x4 tiles, and a metallic grid pattern create a common thread that connects the diverse uses of the residence.
Modularity
Le Within offers a transition from studies to leisure in one multifunctional space that reflects students’ multifaceted identity. Each environment is conceived to be remodeled based on current needs; either individual or collective. This approach allows a dynamic personalization of the communal space, favoring fluid interactions and optimized use.
Urbanity
The color palette was defined to anchor the project in its local heritage: red pays homage to the brick buildings of Milton-Parc, gray reflects its paved streets, and green evokes Mont Royal during the lush season. The city’s vibrant food scene also inspired the use of orange in tribute to the eponymous restaurant, while salmon and cream nod to toppings of the world famous Montreal bagels.
Communal spaces
The communal spaces were conceived to enrich the residential experience through a thoughtful analysis of their use and functionality. The ground floor stands at the conceptual intersection of a garden and a library. It is these precise elements that inspired the biophilic characteristic of the halls and gave an academic flair to the lobby. The latter takes cues from the hospitality industry to propose a convivial space that encourages community building.
"Le Within embodies our vision of a student residence that goes beyond traditional housing," says Jean Pelland, Architect and Principal Partner at Sid Lee Architecture. "By revitalizing a historical building, we aimed to offer students a truly unique living experience where architecture and design, rooted in built heritage, are at the service of their wellbeing."
The garden level allows visitors to pass through the other side of the mirror, where most of the services are accessible. The study room includes a large communal table that offers a wide range of uses. Versatile rooms follow one another in a flexible environment that can be accommodated to a diversified array of activities, depending on the season or the interests of the students – an art gallery, a meditation zone, a play or exercise room. Colorful multimedia pods, which offer an expressive visual landscape, can be used to record audio and visual material, and can be transformed into a compact study room.
Finally, the communal kitchen is equipped with an oversized table that reinforces opportunities of collaboration between students.
Signage and brand identity
The project is the result of a partnership between Sid Lee Architecture and the brand and design team at Sid Lee. This synergy, made possible by an integrated and collective approach, allowed the teams to orchestrate experiences that surpass form and function thanks to their rich storytelling.
"The brand identity of Le Within is revealed as an extension of this narrative thread," adds Marie-Elaine Benoit, Executive Director of Design at Sid Lee. "The logo embodies the duality between heritage and modernity, the color palette portrays a metropolis in harmony with nature, and the typographic expressions explore the idea of a mise en abyme through an immersive framing effect."
This approach also extends to the direction of photography and the brand's merchandise.
Designed by Sid Lee, the signage uses bright colors to facilitate orientation, in contrast to a rather sober color palette. The concept of nesting is interpreted more literally and punctuates the space in a playful and practical way.
Team:
Client: Canora
Architect: Sid Lee Architecture
Signage and brand identity: Sid Lee
General contractor: QMD
Electromechanical engineer: Énergère
Structural engineer: MA-TH
Photographer: Alex Lesage
