Photography by Stephane Brugger
After four years of work, the recent inauguration of the Maison des étudiants de l?École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) unveiled a signature building which enhances an entire neighbourhood in the Griffintown district in Montreal.
Designed by Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes and inspired by an icehouse that once stood on the site, the crystal-like volume is light, open and airy. The mixed-use program was unified into a singular sculpted volume, interacting in a refreshing way with the more sober and introverted campus buildings. The massing was carved out on the south and east sides to create space for a future park that extends inside the building?s public program, maximizing sunlight and offering the community an abundantly glazed atrium that showcases student life within. Photography by Stephane Brugger
The street side offers mediated views on the upper functions through an intriguing five-storey high image digitally imprinted onto the glass curtain wall. The image is an abstract representation of the energetic network of ideas on the campus evoking the innovative spirit and outreach to the world, which ÉTS intends to project.
Photography by Stephane Brugger
Inside, the atrium is conceived as a landscape in continuity with the exterior park. An impressive cantilevered truss, recalling the railway bridges and industrial structures in the area, lifts its grand staircase above the outdoor space on its south side, offerin...