Page 26 - Designing Ways 255

INSTITUTIONAL
ARCHITECTURE

Institut Pacifique

Montréal, Canada

ince its founding in 1976, the
Institut Pacifique, a leader in conflict
Sresolution and mediation for young
people, has occupied the property located
at 2901 Gouin Boulevard East, Montreal.
After 40 years of work, growth,
and development, the community
organisation began to notice certain
issues with its headquarters: a serious
lack of space, difficulty reconciling
the building’s various uses, fire safety
concerns, an architecture that clashes with
the occupants’ vitality, etc. The structure’s
close quarters and disrepair constituted,
above all, a significant obstacle to the
organisation's social and educational
contribution to the community.
Scarcity of land on the island of
Montréal led the institute to opt for a
major renovation and extension project.
This decision allowed it to continue
working within the local community,
and to keep its property, which contains
a natural treasure: the Île-de-la-Visitation
Nature Park.

The original house
The building is part of the Ancien-
Village-du-Sault-au-Récollet heritage site,
which was designated as such by the City

of Montreal in 1992, and the architectural
concept aimed to restore the appearance
of the original house and to highlight the
nature park that borders the property to
the south and west.
The original house’s geometry was
recovered by demolishing the series
of additions from the 1970s and 1980s
that had been erected without any
consideration of the area’s character. The
new extension enclosed the house on the
south and west facades, acting as a link
between the existing built environment
and the nature park. Numerous openings
on the three levels of the new volume
provide visual continuity with the
landscape. The alignment of the north and
east facades, the alignment of the parapet
and cornice, the glassed-in spaces at the
junction of the new and old sections,
and the extension’s contemporary look

26 Issue 255 • dw