• Home
• Who is this for?
• Where is it located?
• What is it going to be like?
• How much is it going to cost?
• When will it be available?

What is it going to be like?

Working in collaboration with Société du Havre de Montréal, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the city of Montreal, Schèmes Consultants Architects (now Lupien+Matteau inc.) have undertaken a site plan and a functional and technical analysis for the future building.

The analysis led to the design of a 100-unit building, consisting of Work/Live Studios, Studio-Boutiques, and leased retail and office space for businesses and organizations meant to service the arts community.

Some of the pertinent elements of the building include:

Typology:

Work and Live studio space

The most significant component of the project is the ability for artist to Work and Live in the same spaces. As per the code in the South-West borough, this means that each unit has a certain amount of floor space dedicated to the production of art, in addition to more standard residential space. Certain considerations, such as ceiling height, are taken into consideration to facilitate the production of a variety of kinds of work. For example:

• All ground floor units will have a commercial ceiling height - 4.70m
• 50% of the upper-level units will have double-high ceilings, for the production of large works – 6.30m
• 50% of the upper-level units will have a more standard ceiling height – 3m.

Each of the ground floor studio units will have a direct access to the street, with a window or a garage door type window with a specific door. The studi-boutiques and the commercial spaces at ground floor will be reserved in priority to artists and businesses wanting a retail business.

Unit type 1050 sq ft with mezzanine

Seven sizes of units are envisioned in the building

• 600 ft² and 750 ft²

• Mainly situated on the ground floor, these commercial and studio-boutiques are reserved for artists, artisans and commercial ventures that will benefit from a public storefront.
• Glazed garage doors and display windows will provide a connection to the public and passersby.

900-1050-1200-1350-1500 ft²

• Upper level studio spaces with either single or two-storey heights.
• Two storey units include a mezzanine equal to approximately 40% of the floor plate.

Studio-Boutiques

The Studio-Boutiques are for-lease, street-level spaces ranging from 600 to 750 ft2. As their name suggests, Studio Boutiques are both work spaces and commercial spaces for artists and artisans who would like to have a location to both create and sell their work. Unlike other studios in the building, these are not residential in nature; unless this is deemed as an important consideration of the artists (please indicate if this is your preference in the appropriate section of the questionnaire.)

International-Artist in-Residence Work/Live Studios

Several Work/Live Studios will be made available for accommodating international visiting artists, who will be able to live in the community for periods ranging from one to three months. The aim is to set up a system of exchange, which will also permit residents of la Cité des Artistes to visit and take up residence at other international artists’ studios.

Office/Commercial Space

A portion of the site will be dedicated to commercial (non-residential) space which are geared towards organizations and businesses that work with the arts community, for example: private and public art galleries, picture framers, publications and editing houses dedicated to the arts, cultural organizations, film and television production, or any kind of social venture that is related to, or supports arts and culture.

Specifications

By their very nature, the needs and practices of artists are varied. Moreover, techniques and materials change continuously and are at times unhealthy. This presents an interesting design challenge – one that lead us to the creation of flexible and healthy spaces that can easily accommodate future changes and upgrades. For example, each unit will be fitted out to accommodate a suitable hood to ventilate the artist’s workspace, if that is needed. Further, positive air pressure in corridors ensures that contamination of communal spaces will not occur with the opening of a studio door in which chemical fumes are part of the artistic process.

Adequate ventilation, an emergency shower and/or eye wash basin, and a ventilated storage closet will be part of every unit, all artists will be able to share in two communal spray booths. All units will have sprinklers.

We will address acoustical separation between units through the use of symmetric double walls made of 4” block, between which will be acoustic semi ridged insulation.

The interior will be largely unfinished, though the residential component will be equipped with a complete kitchen, hook-ups for a washer/dryer, and a bathroom with both a bath and shower.

The Work/Live Studios will be equipped with:

• Double walls made of 4” block, with acoustic insulation sandwiched between each unit.
• Abundant natural lighting.
• Mechanical ventilation and heat exchangers to keep interior air fresh without wasting energy.
• Passive ventilation with air intake pre-cooled by the earth.
• Spaces pressurized to prevent contamination of communal spaces.
• Emergency shower and/or eye wash basin
• A mezzanine made of exposed steal structure and concrete.

The communal spaces will include:

• Entrance hall and lobby
• A café bistro
• Multi-purpose room
• Janitorial service
• Administrative space
• Commercial space
• Underground parking
• Secure storage space for art works
• Delivery bay
• Drop off area
• Service elevator and standard elevator

Further, hallways will be wide enough to accommodate easy use of transportation carts and large materials (2440 mm across).

Sustainable development and bioclimactic considerations

Many green design considerations are an intrinsic part of the building’s functional and technical program. Such elements are key considerations in the development of a durable and energy efficient building.

Given the site and constraints of the project, the Work/Live Studios will have minimal cooling. For reasons that include minimizing energy and budgetary demands, the building will be designed to make best use of resources available, including fixed solar shading, openable windows and natural ventilation.