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Le Vitrail
By : PMA Architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Residential Building / Apartment & Condo of 5 to 9 storeys : Silver Certification
Categories : Special Award / Architecture + Heritage Enhancement
At the start of curettage work on the Petry-Amyot villa, acquired in 2013 by the property’s developer, a splendid stained glass window was discovered inside a gypsum wall. This discovery marked the beginning of this project to restore, rehabilitate and enhance the Petry-Amyot and Mountaine-Kirouack properties.
Influenced by British and Second Empire styles, these two 19th century villas had notable architectural qualities at the time of their acquisition, despite their derelict state. Since the site is located on Chemin Sainte-Foy – an artery linking old Quebec City and the university campus – it had great potential for increasing land use and was highly attractive for the expansion of residential uses. It was therefore proposed to reintegrate the two properties into a residential complex, creating a new sustainable living environment focused on cohabitation and neighborhood life.
Today, the villas house 12 residential units, while the residential densification project unfolds in 84 units spread over 6 floors, and arranged at the bottom of the block along the ruelle des Franciscains. This layout clears the parterre around the villas and echoes the neighboring row houses. The architecture of the new building pays homage to the simple yet expressive triplex and quadriplex that are so abundant in the Montcalm district. Among other things, the proposed architecture reinterprets the notion of tambours, balconies enclosed with cheap material, typical of the backyards overlooking alleyways in these post-war working-class neighborhoods.
In addition to meeting the need to perpetuate and enhance Quebec’s built heritage, this revitalization project also responds to resolutely contemporary needs for access to housing.
The main design challenge encountered was to connect the ancestral wooden structure of the villas to a new non-combustible sprinkled construction. It was essential to meet the fire protection requirements of the current building code, and to do so without altering the spatial qualities of the heritage buildings. The result is fire walls subtly integrated within the links between old and new.
What happened to the precious stained-glass window discovered at the start of construction? Today, it’s on display inside the entrance hall, a daily reminder to its occupants of the beginnings of the creation of their living environment.
Collaboration
Engineering : Génio Experts-Conseils
