DevMcGill and TMSA have unveiled their new Ateliers Castelnau condominium project. The development, located in the heart of Mile-Ex, will have approximately 310 units. The project is designed by the architectural firm of Provencher_Roy and represents an investment of nearly $100 million.
Mile-Ex is home to a trend-setting young generation, independent retailers and many cafés, bars and restaurants. The Ateliers Castelnau project will be part of an exciting urban village with a rapidly growing number of creative and technology-based companies, including architecture and design studios, art studios and galleries, multimedia collectives, tech start-ups and other up-and-coming Montreal companies.
The architectural concept for Les Ateliers Castelnau defines several different entities within the project, each of which has its own treatment and materiality: the main buildings, the main pathway, distinct entities and private spaces. The master plan specifies the general arrangement of buildings around two street-side courtyards and an inner courtyard.
The development’s material composition will echo that of neighbouring structures. The light and dark tones of the buildings, in contrast with the more neutral effect of grey stone, helps integrate the project with the surrounding built heritage. “The building’s volumetric expression is simple, reflecting its residential function. The contemporary architectural treatment is expressed through materials and the arrangement of volumes,” explains Roch Cayouette, an architect at Provencher_Roy.
On top of this primary language is the project’s grand unifying expression: the central pathway. The different wings are physically connected, coming together in a coherent, integrated whole. The integration of the pathway with the volumes breaks up and paces the façades.
The articulation of the private spaces is inspired by the print shops that once occupied the old workshop building and the site as a whole. Reflecting positive and negative printing, the street-side and courtyard façades have opposing outdoor private spaces: recessed loggias and protruding balconies. The loggias minimize the visual impact of the project’s residential use on the street side, while the balconies enliven the courtyards and other outdoor spaces. On top of this fundamental principle is the analogy is the type case. The grouping of dwelling units by size makes it possible to vary the façades while expressing a refined visual identity.
The courtyard’s landscape design recalls the printing plates once used in the printing industry, expressed as ground cover comprising interwoven strips of mineral and vegetative cover. A nod to modern printing techniques is embodied in furnishings that evoke press rollers and use a colour scheme based on the CMYK standard: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
The west courtyard and garden are designed around the theme of manual tasks such as drawing, sewing, carpentry and shoemaking, among others. The landscape design is inspired by the fundamentals of Japanese folded-paper art, origami. The pattern is repeated in the treatment of hard surfaces, and also broken down into triangular planters. This loose interpretation of Japanese paper art results in a space with a dynamic design characterized by diagonal lines.
The three outdoor spaces integral to the project contribute significantly to the quality of this new living space. More than half of the garden’s open spaces are planted with vegetation, which will help combat the heat-island effect. The project focuses on the preservation of existing trees and the planting of new ones on the site and along De Castelnau Street.
The public launch and unveiling of the Ateliers Castelnau project will take place in early 2017 with the opening of the sales office and model unit, designed by Gauvreau Design, at 65 de Castelnau St. West.