Montreal is preparing to demolish a library less than 30 years old to make way for a new cultural center, a decision that has drawn environmental, financial and heritage criticism.
Posted at 5:00 am
“It’s depressing,” denounces one standard-bearer of Quebec’s sustainable architecture, while local elected officials argue that neighborhood citizens deserve the best possible project.
The architectural concept chosen for the new Espace Rivière in Rivière-des-Prairies was announced last month. It does not preserve the yellow brick building of the district’s current public library, inaugurated in 1995. However, some of the materials should be reused.
“I’m really, really happy that we came to this project, which is an integrated library, cultural center and community center project,” said borough mayor Caroline Bourgeois in an interview with The Press.
[La bibliothèque actuelle], it’s not a building you necessarily have a strong bond with. It’s a building that’s not only very, very cramped, it’s also not suitable.
Caroline Bourgeois, Mayor of Rivière-des-Prairies
“It is lacking in terms of services. We’re next to a secondary school and we can’t even accommodate a large influx of young people,” she added.
The architectural competition announced for the design of the Espace Rivière contained no obligation to preserve the existing building. In fact, none of the four finalist projects included the structure itself.
IMAGE SUPPLIED BY AFFLECK DE LA RIVA
Architectural representation of the future facade of the Espace Rivière
Maintaining the building “was problematic in a number of ways,” Richard de la Riva explained in an interview. It is his company affiliated with Coarchitecture, LGT Inc. and François Courville, who won the competition. It was necessary to integrate “big pieces” into the project, such as a performance hall or loading docks. “It really became a very difficult constraint to have a project that just worked well. »
The Espace Rivière must be built between 2024 and 2026 and then inaugurated in 2027.
Mr. de la Riva and his colleagues’ project envisages reusing 80% of the structural steel in the new building, as well as some of the brick.
“So contradictory of the city”
Despite this goodwill, the project will still send tons of materials in good condition to the landfill, denounced André Bourassa, former president of the Architectural Order and standard-bearer of Quebec’s sustainable architecture.
“No, no, no, no,” repeated Mr. Bourassa as he saw photos of the building promised to the demolition workers. It’s so contradictory coming from the city of Montreal. I can not believe it. I am shocked. […] I built buildings in 1995. We didn’t make them out of paper mache! »
That doesn’t make any sense to me. We don’t have a second planet. Resources need to be maintained. [Pour agir de la sorte]you don’t have to be aware of what the resources cost.
André Bourassa, former President of the Order of Architects
Mr Bourassa says he has no doubts about the goodwill of everyone involved, “everyone did what they could”. In his opinion, maintenance of the building should have been included in the competition rules. Otherwise, the contestants would obviously have been tempted to wipe the board clean to propose the most impressive project to win the bet.
The library “hasn’t been demolished, so it’s not too late” to change course, he added.
“Archaic attitude worthy of the 1960s”
The City of Montreal stated that it did not attach a dilapidation rating to this building. According to a 2014 inspection, “some items were in good condition and several others were in fair condition,” publicist Camille Bégin reported via email. “Electromechanical systems (plumbing fixtures and HVAC distribution) need to be replaced. Above all, a conversion of the existing building would have required a modernization of the existing building, which in turn would have caused considerable costs, according to the city.
For Heritage Montreal, which defends Montreal’s built heritage, the situation raises questions. “It deserves an explanation, this destruction of a new public good,” said Dinu Bumbaru, the organization’s political director.
At the time of a proactive policy of ecological change in the city of Montreal, it seems like an archaic attitude worthy of the 1960s to seek the demolition of an existing building instead of its innovative adaptation.
Dinu Bumbaru, Director of Policy at Heritage Montreal
Mr. Bumbaru underscored the “heritage and environmental sensitivity” of the architects behind the selected project.
Retaining the building would have entailed “additional costs”, Caroline Bourgeois replies when asked how taxpayers should react to the short existence of the public library.
“I am convinced that this is the best project that we have on the table,” concluded Mayor Caroline Bourgeois. “Rivière-des-Prairies deserves a project like the one on the table. […] I do the pros and cons and we’re a lot more winners. »