Port of Montréal Tower: Guardian of memories of the city’s industrial past 

 

 

Breathing new life into an outdated port installation: Provencher_Roy’s mission in the Old Port of Montréal. An iconic 65-metre tower and its belvedere overlooking the waterway complete the Grand Quai transformation, proposing a spectacular observatory of the city and Saint Lawrence River. 

 

 

THE TOWER: OBSERVATORY IN THE SKY AND URBAN LANDMARK

 

What are the advantages of constructing a tower on a shoreline? The first is experienced internally: the Port of Montréal Tower offers exceptional views of Montréal, the Saint Lawrence, and Mount Royal. The second is expressed externally: like a lighthouse, the Tower acts as a beacon attracting tourists, guiding them, and bringing them to unprecedented heights above the waterway. A cantilevered volume housing an observatory in the sky constitutes the culminating point of the experience. A new perspective for discovering the city is unveiled. The Tower therefore becomes a new urban landmark for visitors and passersby alike. Whether they discover it for the first time by boat on the water or along a pedestrian pathway in Old Montréal, the Tower not only signals the presence of a cruise terminal but also of a vast public place. 

 

 

HIGHLIGHTING A STORIED INDUSTRIAL PAST IN OLD MONTRÉAL

 

Long separated from the city and not very inviting, at the beginning of the 20th century the Grand Quai was exclusively accessible to passengers arriving by ship to the cruise terminal. Measuring 305 metres in length and 91 metres in width, it was punctuated by 4 immense storage hangars, throughout an era in which Montréal was heavily involved in grain exportation. Anchored at the end of the pier, the Tower offers access to a once-desolate zone. Integrated into a pedestrian network favouring gentle mobility, visitors are invited to access the Grand Quai’s rooftop terrace via an exterior staircase connected to the Old Port promenade. They can take a break on the elevated esplanade – enjoying urban furniture that has been specifically designed for immersion in nature – then continue walking to the entrance of the Tower at the tip of Terminal 1. The project enriches the pedestrian experience by celebrating the end of a scenic path in the Port of Montréal, while offering renewed access to the Saint Lawrence River. 

 

It is the Tower’s duty to pay homage to the site, as keeper of the traces of a rich industrial past. This duty is manifest in the rigorous concrete and steel structure, and compact pragmatic volumetry of the Tower. Stemming from a perfect square, the nucleus echoes the geometry of the neighbouring historic Old Port tower constructed at the end of the 1950s for the transfer of grain from ships to silos, located at the tip of the Quai des Convoyeurs. The Tower is cohesive with the other port structures, while cultivating its uniqueness. A symbol of the city, it overlooks the Promenade d’Iberville. Implanted on the rooftop-garden of the rehabilitated cruise terminal, it asserts itself as a main character of present-day Montréal. The Tower is the new guardian of memories of the site. 

 

 

A NEW DESTINATION FOR UNPRECEDENTED EXPERIENCES

 

In addition to overseeing Montréal history, the Tower becomes a new destination, an attractive place inviting visitors to stroll. On the 13th floor, the cantilevered observatory offers 360-degree views of the city and Saint Lawrence. With a multipurpose vocation, this space in the sky is accessible to the public and rented out for events. A wooden helicoidal staircase visible from the exterior extends from the observatory towards the sky, inviting visitors to climb higher. As a sculptural object shining through the façade, its form is reminiscent of the typical Montréal spiral stairways, found in front of buildings in many of the city’s neighbourhoods. Its golden colour evokes wheat, the most common local grain characterizing the Old Port’s exportation boom. At the top, the experience is prolonged by a glass cage seemingly plunging visitors 55 metres above the Grand Quai. A vertiginous experience guaranteed!

 

The compact project prioritizes high-performance circulations and the user experience, through the creation of immersive spaces offering breathtaking views of the city. The design minimizes the building’s footprint, freeing up space at the end of the pier for a new park entitled Commencement Square. Strongly based on model work, material and volumetry choices were guided by five objectives: proposing unique trajectories offering exceptional views, exposing and celebrating structural components  with elegant joints, optimizing the integration of wood, integrating acoustics, and accommodating diversified services. The projecting volume mainly functions as a large multipurpose space with a 300-person capacity, including all the necessary equipment (sanitary, food services, scenography, and acoustics). The highly flexible spaces can accommodate a diversity of activities, including exhibitions, gala evenings, and theatrical performances.  

 

AN EXEMPLARY MARRIAGE OF TECHNICAL AND AESTHETIC CHALLENGES

 

The organization of the construction site accounted for many constraints: construction on a pier with limited access and on backfilled soil with deep bedrock, conservation of the space for tourists, arrival of cruise ships, accommodating events, and minimal disruption of port operations. Provencher_Roy embraced the technical and aesthetic challenges related to an exposed concrete structure. Since the building envelope is entirely glazed, the firm opted for high-quality materials. The prestressed concrete used for the vertical load-bearing elements supports the imposing cantilevers of the steel structure. Informed by the project's wind tunnel study, the structure was designed to attain the highest possible standards. The addition of a damping mass further enhances comfort for users of the Tower.

Once constructed, the Tower became exemplary. Its large entranceways, wooden staircase, and green cage make it a remarkable signature building that is visible from afar without affecting the surroundings too much. The technical challenges were undertaken with finesse and elegance, ensuring a unique experience for tourists without negative impacts on the neighbourhood. The discreet sober architecture adds a touch of sensitivity to the whole. The project is successful in integrating access to the waterway, reinforcing links within the community, and minimizing its visual impact, representing a significant contribution to the current socioecological transition and ensuring a balance between architectural innovation, sustainability, and harmony with the environment. 

 

A LUMINOUS LANDSCAPE DESIGN EVOCATIVE OF ITS TIME

Through making the site publicly accessible by connecting it to the River, the redesign of the Grand Quai affirms its desire to become part of the socioecological transition. Designed in collaboration with NIP_PAYSAGE, the exterior spaces consist of a wooden promenade with a garden and technological green roof. The plants chosen are adaptable to extreme weather conditions. The Port of Montréal additionally implemented the electrification of ships docked at the pier, reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2,800 tonnes. The opportunity to charge ships electrically greatly enhances the air quality, while enabling motors to be turned off. Other efficient and innovative initiatives have been integrated, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelling, crane and cruise terminal electrification, and the installation of electric plugs for refrigerated containers, rather than relying on diesel-fuelled generators. 

The ambiance created with lighting was highly prioritized for this project. The Tower was conceived as a jewel to be accentuated as part of Old Montréal’s lighting plan, positioning the Grand Quai within the continuum of nocturnal aesthetics of the neighbourhood. The monumental lighting chosen for the Tower at the end of the pier works in visual symbiosis with the other landmarks along the horizon line. The use of white light with cold tones illuminates the structure, while white light with warmer amber tones distinctively highlights the helicoidal staircase, transforming the Tower into a shimmering beacon on the River. The building’s interior incorporates meticulously designed lighting to highlight the structure’s transparency while not eclipsing the night sky. The careful use of lighting serves to transform the Grand Quai and Port of Montréal Tower into nocturnal jewels adding a new dimension to urban life in the neighbourhood and enriching the experiences of residents and visitors alike.