Heritage requalification and sustainable development are not antinomiques ! In 2010, a former electrification station in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve was converted into a housing COOP, while meeting many green criteria. Discover the two lives of this industrial building in the article.
The arrival of terminal station # 1 in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
In 1903, Shawinigan Water & Power succeeded in the technical feat of transporting the electricity produced in Shawinigan over a great distance to reach Montreal. The arrival point of this first electric transmission line was the brand new terminale n° 1 Station, at 2111 d'Orléans Street (current address), in the city of Maisonneuve (annexed to Montreal in 1918). Electricity from the Mauricie region supplies the city's tramway network and industrial centres such as Ateliers Angus.
Station No. 1 is designed by engineer Wallace C. Johnson. He envisions a building that is essentially functional, simple and unadorned. An imposing steel structure, made by the Dominion Bridge in Lachine, supports the building and frames a large main hall in which the imposing electrical transformers are located. The station's red brick facades are pierced by large windows that let abundant light into the vast engine room.
Source :
Shawinigan Journal, March-April 1953, p.11
Source : The Shawinigan Water and Power Company: its property and plant, 1907.
At années 1950, station terminale n° 1 is decommissioned and operations are transferred to the adjacent station terminale n° 2, built in 1911. The building is sold to American Can Co. for use as a warehouse near its main plant, located on Pie-IX Street, just north of Ontario Street. In 1955, the former station was annexed to several buildings. Eventually, the main building was abandoned.
In the 1990s, the sector underwent major transformations: in 1993, the rails along the old station were removed and the redevelopment of what would become Place Simon-Valois and Promenade Luc-Larrivée was initiated. The building also changed owners, but remained vacant. In 2005, a promoter is considering a project that would greatly transform the building. The borough requested the production of a heritage interest study that would convince it of the building's value. The promoter was turned down, and it was the project presented a few years later by Bâtir son quartier that received the borough's approval.
The station is located on avenue d'orléans, on the left of the plan.
A requalification in community housing
In 2010, the station was converted into a 74-unit dwelling by the architectural firm Ædifica. Bâtir son quartier, a social economy enterprise specializing in community real estate projects, accompanied the group in the development of the cooperative, from consultation to project implementation, including coordination and site management. Bâtir son quartier also provided support and training to the co-operative in order to equip them in the management of their social economy enterprise.
"We are committed to actively participating in the preservation of built heritage, particularly through the conversion of buildings for community housing. To do so, we act as a facilitator of relations between the various stakeholders (private developers, financial backers, professionals, elected officials and the public service) and the group that is carrying out the project. »
Edith Cyr, Executive Director of Bâtir son quartier
The Station n° 1 cooperative housing project was financed in part by the AccèsLogis program, a gouvernement du Québec program introduced in 1997. Administered by the Société d'Habitation du Québec, this program provides loan guarantees and subsidies to finance part of the construction costs of community housing projects.
The electrification station is therefore being expanded to accommodate a mix of homes and affordable rental housing, from studios to family dwellings of 4 and 5 chambres. For conversion purposes, the original central nave has been removed and replaced by an inner courtyard (photos above). The units were located in the wings on either side and in the two new wings. The apartments open onto green spaces on either side of the building. The entrance to the units is via the inner courtyard, creating a sense of community among co-op members.
Eco-friendly housing
Fitting out, insulation, water and waste management of construction : everything has been thought out with a view to sustainable development.
The original building serves as the centrepiece of the new housing complex, with new wings added on either side of the old station. The main hall, now an inner courtyard, is dominated by the former overhead crane, reflecting the building's industrial past. In addition, 54% of the structural elements have been preserved, including the steel structure, the foundations and columns as well as the longitudinal walls. The masonry has also been largely preserved: 96 000 briques have been cleaned and reused.
In terms of energy, the vegetation and the reflective roofing membrane reduce the formation of heat islands. New openings have been created to bring more natural light into the dwellings. The energy performance of the building is also 42 % higher than the average for apartments in Quebec.
" Afin to ensure maximum insulation, behind the four-inch-thick walls, the wood frame was filled with urethane and covered with a rigid insulation board made of natural wood fibres. Each apartment is equipped with double-glazed windows with a thermal resistance of R-4 and a heat recovery ventilator. »
source: https://projetsverts.voirvert.ca/projets/station-no1
The installation of water-efficient plumbing fixtures results in a 45 % reduction in drinking water consumption compared to a comparable building. In addition, the plants installed in the building do not require any irrigation. Finally, 95 % of demolition and construction waste was not sent to landfill sites.
The requalification of the Station n° 1 as a cooperative is a success in several points. First of all, Ædifica's project was able to integrate the heritage of the district while preserving the industrial spirit of the original building. In addition, this aesthetic building meets various eco-housing criteria, the COOP having received Novoclimat certification. Finally, the project also received several awards, testifying to the high quality of the work and the vision of lieu :
- Winner in the Not-for-Profit Organization category of the 5e Gala de reconnaissance en environnement et développement durable de Montréal | 2011
- Recipient of the 2011 Opération patrimoine architectural de Montréal Heritage Enhancement Award | 2011
- Special prize for heritage enhancement, awarded by Ville de Montréal and the Foundation Héritage Montréal
Today, the co-op is participating in the revitalization of an industrial quadrilateral by welcoming more than 70 nouveaux tenants.
Want to know more about renovations durables ? Sign up for our renovation lessons on 23 and 25 novembre.
Thank you to Edith Cyr, Executive Director of Building Your Neighbourhood for answering our questions.
Sources :
- Projectsto.ca
- Building your neighbourhood
- The Cultural Factory
- "Discovering Hochelaga-Maisonneuve | Energy: electricity "
- Aedifica
- Study of Louis Brillant. Heritage study for the heritage evaluation of the buildings located at 2100 Jeanne-d'Arc Avenue, for Samcon, 2005.
Header image photo credit: Héritage Montréal.
2 comments
I love this article but, I wonder why you write in some places: Station #1 and others Station #1? In fact, in French, the period has no place in an abbreviation that ends with the last letter of the word. So the first way to write it is the right one. That was my comment as a former typographer and lover of the French language!
😉
Hello,
Thank you for your keen eye! We will indeed correct this inconsistency.
Kind regards,
TheHéritage Montréal