Science complex

This remarkable university campus on the former Outremont switching yard site presents a proper urban solution to revitalize a derelict industrial zone and restore connections between neighborhoods fragmented by the site's previous use. Due to its strategic location the Science Complex becomes the heart of this project with a mission to promote education, development, retention, and the attraction of top-tier international researchers.

As the first building to be established on the site, the complex comprises two volumes on either side of the north-south axis formed by the extension of Wiseman Street. Thus, the location is traversed by the "blue line," a guiding thread connecting the Acadie and Outremont stations and a symbolic public space of the project, leading users into the heart of the new site. An outdoor central plaza, surrounded by the volumes of the Teaching Pole and the Sciences Pole, completes this grand ensemble, and marks the main entrance to the building.

Deployed east of the "blue line," the Sciences Pole is divided into two linear wings of six stories each, linked together by the reception hall and a set of walkways. It houses teaching and research laboratories, professors' and researchers' offices, student cafés, and the administration of four departments: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Geography. The reception hall serves as an exhibition showcase, a space around which exchange activities and synergistic elements of the Sciences Pole are organized, ensuring the Pavilion's dynamism.

On the western side, the Teaching Pole includes the library, classrooms, lecture halls, and an agora. The amphitheatres are grouped near the Pavilion's main entrance and juxtaposed to form a sculptural mass of four stories, staged by a large glass wall acting as a signaling element for the entire campus. At the heart of the project, the library connects the two poles and reveals itself in multiple tiers linking the ground floor to the basement. Located beneath the "blue line," it unfolds around two large landscaped courtyards that offer users elements of contemplation and opens up visual perspectives on the pavilions and other components of the complex. The adjacent agora is the circulation hub and a significant meeting place where students, teachers, and researchers can gather and exchange ideas.

A significant scientific hub encompassing nearly 54,900 m² and LEED Gold certified, the Complex of Sciences houses over 35 research chairs. In addition to enhancing the international scientific reputation of the University of Montreal and invigorating all research endeavors, this integrated urban complex will facilitate the revitalization of an entire city sector through the creation of a creative and innovative neighborhood.