Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Qc
Construction cost: $1 500 000
Area : 3600 m.sq.
Client : McGill University,
(Debra J. Buzzard , Dean Faculty of agricultural & environmental sciences)
Structural engineer: Jan Vrana
Mechanical engineer: N.G. Lapierre
General contractor:
Construction Bramitek (phase 1)
Gaston Champoux (1973 inc.) (phase 2)
Completed in September 1998

Prix d'excellence de l'OAQ 2000
Architecture résidentielle
Ensemble d'habitations

The Ecoresidence project is located on the MacDonald campus of McGill University in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, at the western tip of Montréal island. The campus combines a research farm, and arboretum and an academic campus with housing for staff and students for the McGill Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. The existing graduate student housing complex, Robertson Terrace was a 1960’s concrete and masonry structure containing 60 apartments of one or two bedroom units that were in a state of advanced deterioration. Although the client initially intended to completely demolish the existing buildings, L’OEUF proposed transforming the existing one bedroom apartments into 40 residential units varying from two to six bedrooms, in order to encourage an ecological lifestyle for a group of students who contributed to the initiation of the project.

The inherent economy of renovation as opposed to demolition and new construction made the project financially viable at a cost of less than $40 per square foot. The savings also allowed for the incorporation of some base infrastructure so that future environmental initatives could be added with minimal disruption to the current users (heat-recovery systems, solar preheating of domestic water, and plant-based ecological treatment of waste-water).

Inspired by similar projects on campuses such as Berkely and Stanford, the principles of sustainable and innovative housing design guided the proposal to recycle and transform the existing buildings. This strategy permitted the development of affordable student housing while retaining a robust load-bearing masonry structure, whose inherent qualities included high quality thermal and acoustic insulation. The conservation of the existing building effectively reduced demolition waste, pollution and the consumption of resources associated with the production of new materials.

The new six-plex units combine four existing one-bedroom apartments on two levels to create six private bedrooms with common dining, kitchen, and living areas. On the upper level, new greenhouses built of recycled and restored doors and windows are provided off a common living room. Outside air is preheated and filtered by thermal solar energy that is captured and stored in the greenhouses then distributed to the main living areas of the units by natural conduction and convection. The new greenhouses also create a new identity for the project as well as an identification fo the new communal accomodations. Many of the construction materials are reused and the project contains a selection of non-toxic and ecological materials and finishes.