HEC Montréal’s Hélène Desmarais Building: A contemporary face for an historic institutionnnWhat if training the leaders of the future started with immersion in responsible architecture in tune with its surroundings? Designing a new 24,000-m2 building in downtown Montréal to expand the horizons of the oldest business and administration School in the country was the challenge undertaken by Provencher_Roy for the Hélène Desmarais Building – HEC Montréal. The resulting design reflects the principles of modernity, functionality, and sustainability that make the institution a leader in the fields of education and research. As a setting for training the decision-makers of tomorrow, the School was devised as an atmosphere of possibilities. nnA new face for HEC Montréal, shaped on its original sitennHaving grown significantly over the years and requiring new spaces, HEC Montréal entrusted Provencher_Roy with the design of a new cutting-edge building. The Hélène Desmarais Building (paying homage to the eponymous Québécois business woman acting as the first woman President of the Board of Directors of HEC Montréal) is situated in the Ville-Marie borough, between St. Patrick’s Basilica, Beaver Hall Street, and De la Gauchetière Street West. The design therefore represents a return to the source, since HEC Montréal was founded in the Ville-Marie borough in 1907. In over a century, the world has changed significantly. The Business School has evolved, as reflected by its new building. The School’s contemporary face was shaped to respond to three objectives: opening up a dialogue paying homage to a remarkable heritage, establishing a downtown presence reflecting its international character, and supporting the principles of sustainable development by creatively applying current standards.nThe choice of the original HEC Montréal site for construction of its new figurehead building reinforces the links between the School, its partners, graduate community, and approximately 300,000 business professionals established in downtown Montréal. The accent is placed on business training offerings in French, within the Hélène Desmarais Building setting that has greatly improved accessibility for professionals in the downtown core. The Building fills a need expressed by both employers and employees. Bringing the institution closer to the business community has therefore created an environment destined for exchanges and collaborations. Along with a research centre, activities dedicated to entrepreneurship and innovation drive the transfer of knowledge from the leaders’ training environment to businesses. All the necessary ingredients are brought together to create an environment that is rich in collaborative, immersive, and interactive experiences. nnAn interface that is dynamic, light, and respectful of Montréal heritagennAt the onset of the project in January of 2017, a collaborative design workshop was organized to clarify the strongest ideas. This think tank was comprised of approximately 60 people, including experts of the built environment, residents, representatives and students of HEC Montréal, and professionals dedicated to the project, with the objective of defining the identity, style, and personality of the future Building. Three fundamental themes were explored during the workshop: dynamism, lightness, and respect of the site’s heritage – all part of a manifesto which today is aligned with the School’s strategic plan. These key points guided the project’s exemplarity from design to execution. The Hélène Desmarais Building revitalizes the neighbourhood through its implantation, volumetry, and materiality. Accounting for heritage protection zones, the Building is devoid of heaviness and integrated with full finesse into the urban fabric, in contrast with the volumetry of the surrounding older buildings. Finally, the Building engages in a dialogue with its environment, through the mirror-treatment of the façades and play of angles offering viewpoints from De la Gauchetière Street West and Beaver Hall Street.nnSituated in the shadow of the Basilica, in 1860, the site housed St. Bridget’s Refuge, a residence for Irish women. With only a few remaining traces coupled with commemorative plaques, the project chose to value St. Bridget’s ruins, tracing its foundations and partially reconstructing some exterior walls with existing stones from the period. Shimmering facets make up the Building’s skin. Over time, evolving materiality enabled it to reflect its surroundings. Apart from the east side of Beaver Hall Street, all of the neighbouring buildings are over 20 storeys tall. Since the Hélène Desmarais Building doesn’t surpass 8 storeys, it is respectfully integrated into the neighbourhood. Façades not exceeding the roof crest of St. Patrick’s Basilica incline as they move away from the religious building, conserving views of the historical structure. The Building’s north-east façade opens up to the sky, reflecting the inverted diagonal of the neighbouring bell tower, while the south-east façade inclines in the opposite direction, overlooking the vegetative covering and softening the presence of the newly arrived visitor in their environment. Soaring glass windows open up the Building towards the adjacent public place, continually offering renewed perspectives of the green spaces surrounding the Building. nnThe Hélène Desmarais Building consists of 27 classrooms, a 296-seat amphitheatre, a research wing composed of over 10 research and knowledge transfer units, welcoming and administrative spaces, in addition to an event and conference centre. A library, cafeteria, and indoor garden are also integrated. Such public equipment and new community spaces link the modern face of HEC Montréal with the older elements of the city. Traffic is organized around two perpendicular axes (from De la Gauchetière Street West to René Lévesque Boulevard, and from the entrance to Beaver Hall Street to the Basilica garden). At the intersection of these axes, in an Atrium encompassing 5 storeys, sculptural staircases and elevators guide building users to upper levels. The design is inspired by Montréal’s geographical and urban qualities, while further defining the metropolitan identity of the new campus. The pedestrian pathways crossing the Building resolve a 9-metre difference in level across the site, connecting the urban fabric with the heritage and landscape environment, from east to west and north to south. Open and accessible on all sides, the Hélène Desmarais Building is like a new prominent inhabitant of the neighbourhood, made entirely of glass, stone, and metal. It constitutes an interface between the Montréal business community and students from all corners of the globe. nnA spatial organization conducive to social interactionsnnDesigned as an open welcoming space, the new HEC Montréal accentuates flexible spaces that are accessible to visitors and regular users alike. Some zones have been devised for informal exchanges, whereas other semi-public zones are dedicated to meetings, courses, and community or association events. Finally, some zones are mostly for individuals, favouring relaxation or concentration. The lower floors accommodate gatherings, with access via the Building’s three main entrances. Intermediate-level floors house classrooms, while upper-level floors bring together administrative functions; spaces for exchanging, training, MBA, EMBA McGill-HEC Montréal; and First Nations Executive Education – HEC Montréal. The north-west wing is dedicated to research units. The configuration of the new Building favours collaboration between businesses and researchers from near and far, making it into an incubator of social interaction. nnnCentred on community well-being, the contemporary HEC Montréal Building was imagined as a vast network of learning, research, and collaborative spaces, encouraging pleasant exchanges between students, teachers, and business professionals. Collective spaces were also designed as meeting spaces for these different communities. The spatial organization and range of service offerings bring together disciplines, cultures, and various generations. For instance, a spacious community cafeteria, and a mix of different offices dissolve disciplinary silos. The abundance of natural light fills the site with a warm and welcoming atmosphere for users. The project design was guided by an aesthetic logic valuing seasonal contrasts, the benefits of light therapy, and the virtues of in-person meetings. Two contemporary art pieces, created specifically for the space by Québécois artists Nicolas Baier and Ludovic Boney, contribute to the Building’s charm. nnA welcoming, safe, and accessible building serving the socio-economic transitionnTo the west of the site on De la Gauchetière Street West, walls with a “V” relief motif announce a set-back entrance to the grounds. Superimposed volumes jutting out onto the street highlight the Building within the cityscape. The façade is punctuated with sheltered terraces opening out towards Montréal. The landscape design ensures to establish cohesion between the HEC Building and the Basilica. Inviting, safe, and accessible to the Montréal community, this well-thought-out exterior offers an enhanced sense of welcome serving the socio-economic transition. New trees, bushes, and annual plants will be planted gradually throughout the site. In fact, in 2018, a forestry study identified some existing trees on the site as being too ill to conserve. The wood of such trees was therefore reused as much as possible in the creation of furniture for the common areas. nnIn general, particular attention was placed on all material choices for the project. All materials are locally sourced (transported less than 800 kilometres to the construction site) and 30% recycled. User health and security were prioritized, given that materials used do not contain volatile organic compounds. In addition, the Hélène Desmarais Building was designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The architecture demonstrates responsible, ecological, and sustainable design, extending all the way to the envelope. To create a high-performance completely glazed membrane, an innovative cladding glass system was created against opaque walls, as a replacement for traditional curtain wall technology yielding unsatisfactory thermal capacities. The performance of the glass skin (surpassing by 30% that stipulated by the National Building Code), judiciously placed openings (not exceeding 36% of the total exterior surfaces), and integration of geothermal energy make the Hélène Desmarais Building a particularly energy-efficient construction. nnThis new HEC Montréal campus establishes a hub not only for developing initiatives of benefit to the institution’s community, but also for society at large. Rain water retention and wastewater systems, breathable insulated walls, and emphasis on green projects and sustainable entrepreneurship are just some examples of the initiatives developed. Actions have been taken to integrate a maximum of WELL certification characteristics (access to nature, green roofing, biophilia, maximization of natural lighting, optimization of active circulation, promotion of physical activity, and the integration of landscape design favouring biodiversity). The location of the new Building also facilitates mobility with low-carbon emissions. In addition to the various public transit options (metro, trains, and the REM), bicycle racks are also accessible. All of these efforts enable economies of over 430 tonnes of CO2 per year. As the contemporary face of an historic institution, the resulting Hélène Desmarais Building must function as an ambassador of the responsible architecture of its time.