2024
MCHAP.emerge
Rose-des-Vents / Résidences étudiantes
ADHOC architectes
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
June 2023
PRIMARY AUTHOR
Anik Malderis (Architect, senior partner, project manager), Jean-François St-Onge (Architect, senior partner, creative director)
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
L2C experts-conseils (structural engineers), Desjardins experts conseils (mecanical and electrical engineers), NIP Paysage (landscape architects)
CLIENT
UTILE - Gabriel Fournier Filion
PHOTOGRAPHER
Ulysse Lemerise B.
OBJECTIVE
The primary goal of the project was to create an affordable housing complex catering to a generally low-income demographic. Design elements were carefully developed with a focus on cost-conscious efforts, ensuring both the quality of design and finishes were maintained. The inclusion of thoughtfully organized common areas facilitated a modest reduction in individual living spaces in exchange for shared social zones. Near the ground floor, the student cafe, collaborative workspaces, agora, laundry room, and bike workshop serve as "extended living areas," acting as catalysts for social interaction that emanate into the community through the peripherally located public spaces.
The other levels provide living and cohabitation spaces dedicated to students needs for concentration and tranquility. Two elements were designed to emphasize these notions : continuous outdoor galleries promoting exchanges and encounters, and a second metallic skin. The expanded aluminium skin creatively arranged in an informal composition, wraps the building with a playful aesthetic. Openings in this second skin vary according to each façade’s orientation, offering a balance of natural lighting and shade unique to each apartment unit.
In addition to providing privacy to the building’s occupants, the mesh frames different views of the project’s surroundings under different conditions and encourages spontaneous interactions between residents as they peek beyond its frame to their neighbors. The materiality of the expanded aluminum paneling creates a scintillating effect on the facade, evolving throughout the day, while simultaneously offering a translucent and veiled view of the outdoor galleries.
CONTEXT
The Rose-des-Vents student housing project, welcoming over 160 students from all parts of the globe, is part of a new innovative multi-use eco-district named Technopôle Angus in Montreal, Quebec. Rooted in affordable housing integration strategies central to the district's ethos, the project was spearheaded by the non-profit organization UTILE, dedicated to improving the living conditions of the student population.
The newly developed eco-district in with the project is situated encompasses the construction of 15 buildings, ranging from 4 to 6 floors, dedicated to residential, business, and commercial use. These structures are arranged around a diagonal pedestrian walkway, two public squares, and a central green public space. The intentional blending of residential, work, and social environments was meticulously planned to seamlessly integrate into the urban fabric, breathing life into the neighborhood and encouraging the community's active engagement with the space.
Located at the North-East corner of the development, the Rose-des-Vent site is bordered on one hand by an urban plaza, one of two main entry points for the sector, and on the other by an urban forest of trees and edible plants. Adhering to the district's principles, the project reinforces connections between its residents and neighboring communities by incorporating ground floor social spaces that spill into the surrounding public areas. This design choice not only enlivens the district but also ensures that adjacent spaces benefit from the vibrant, round-the-clock student animation. Continuous outdoor galleries also emphasize this notion, encouraging exchanges and encounters between its users. These outdoor individual spaces furthermore create a space for students to immerse themselves in the seasonal changes distinctive to Montreal.
PERFORMANCE
Technopôle Angus earned the distinction of being Quebec's inaugural eco-district, achieving LEED-ND Platinum certification. The master plan includes sustainable infrastructure systems such as rainwater recovery, high quality green spaces, and an energy loop. The energy loop efficiently stores and exchanges thermal energy among all buildings, tailoring it to their daily requirements and redistributing it between residential, work and commercial sectors. The neighborhood's residents and workers also enjoy the benefits of public and green spaces, a pedestrian street, an urban woodland, and eco-trails that foster biological diversity.
Integrated in this district, Rose-des-Vents aligns with the new development’s sustainable commitment by connecting to the energy loop and groundwater retention systems. This strategic integration significantly lowers the building's energy consumption for heating and air conditioning. Behind the project’s metallic veil, is a high-performance and resilient building system boasting an effective R27.5 thermal resistance value without thermal bridging, complemented by heat recuperation systems to further minimize energy usage. Also adhering to sustainable principles, the use of aluminum for the second skin ensures durability, recyclability, lightweight properties, corrosion resistance, and taps into an abundant local resource.
The project also promotes the use of cycling as a means of transportation as biking remains the main mode of transport for students. Ample and easily accessible bicycle parking facilities, coupled with a repair shop near the ground floor common areas, actively promote and facilitate this eco-friendly means of transport.
