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Centre l’Entre-Toit Léger
By : CB Architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Public Building / Institutional Building : Bronze Certification
Entre-Toit Léger is a group home serving Montreal and Montérégie-Est that provides transitional housing for people with mental health challenges as well trouble with the law. Thanks to these new facilities, the Centre l’Entre-Toit can now offer 32 additional spots and a congregate setting where clients can receive daily support from professionals whose mission is to facilitate their stabilization and reintroduction into society. These social and community-focused considerations were at the heart of the conceptual process from the very beginning, resulting in a space that caters to the needs of its occupants and allows for privacy, dignity and security. The building, just like the organization, exists to serve people.
The project posed a siting problem long before construction started. The difficulty in finding an appropriate property to develop led the Entre-Toit Centre to choose two adjoining lots. Located on Boulevard Léger and overlooking a residential area, the unusually shaped properties are small considering the Centre’s needs. Despite these constraints and the scale of the building, the new facility provides good accessibility and has marked the landscape without clashing with the residential nature of the neighbourhood. And while occupants enjoy the bustling setting, strategies for noise mitigation and view protection—such as the judicious use of vegetation and an English courtyard—safeguard their tranquility and maintain harmony in the area. The result is a compact structure in which each surface unit is needful.
The building consists of three brickwork volumes—a central portion with light-coloured masonry and two lateral portions that are darker coloured. The central volume is atop a largely transparent base containing the entrance hall and dining room. These spaces open onto the English courtyard, which allows residents to gather outside away from car and foot traffic along Boulevard Léger.
Inside and out, the building offers an unambiguous interpretation of the space. On the exterior, the volumes reveal their respective function with public and private spaces clearly delineated. The treatment of the façades features two types of window separated in the middle by a wood-panelled recess. While on one end the bedrooms have windows laid out in a regular pattern like the surrounding residential buildings, the shared spaces at the opposite end are clad in curtain walls and allow for abundant natural light.
Inside, horizontal and vertical circulation as well as public and private areas are well defined. Interpretation of the space is helped by visual reference points, for example painted walls or distinctive materials like wood. The layout was designed to separate the spaces into two types, adapted to the specific needs of Entre-Toit: on one side, the bedrooms—private spaces that make residents feel at home—and on the other side, shared spaces that encourage peaceful coexistence, group activities and relaxation.
Collaboration
Photographer : Vincent Brillant Photographe
