The project’s initiative stems from the desire of the Association Unie – Local 144, a plumbers’ union, to relocate to provide its members with an innovative complex that integrates a welcoming and comfortable administrative center as well as a high-level training center. The design of the building, which aims to be both exemplary and innovative, addresses high certification targets from the outset. Beyond the LEED V4 Platinum certification, the project’s sustainability translates primarily into a comfortable place for its users, bathed warmly in natural light, while requalifying a brownfield site and becoming an economic development engine for the sector.
This innovative complex in Pointe-aux-Trembles integrates corporate headquarters and a high-level professional training center. Connected by a bridge creating an indoor garden, the two different volumes are distinguished by their envelope, thus affirming the distinctive elements of the program.
The administrative pavilion is built around a central atrium topped by an impressive skylight. This structure creates a strong identity for the members of the union and provides overhead lighting in the center of the structure. The materials are sober; the components are limited to wood, concrete, and steel.
The three workshops form the functional skeleton of the training center. Large sections of translucent insulation on the south wall allow for natural lighting in these large spaces while maintaining a high-performance envelope. On the second floor, the classrooms provide adaptable learning spaces for academic instruction. The strategically positioned openings provide birds-eye view of one workshop and the mechanic’s room. The connection of theory and practice becomes tangible and is thus expressed through simple architectural gestures.
The roofs support 441 photovoltaics panels, bringing the project close to the net zero targets. In addition to the inherent criteria of the environmental standards, the project’s sustainability translates first and foremost into a comfortable place for its users, warmly drenched in natural light, and requalifies a site in an existing industrial sector.
