Designing a new 24,000-m2 building in downtown Montréal to expand the horizons of the oldest business and administration School in the country was the challenge undertaken by Provencher_Roy for the Hélène Desmarais Building – HEC Montréal. The resulting design reflects the principles of modernity, functionality, and sustainability that make the institution a leader in the fields of education and research. As a setting for training the decision-makers of tomorrow, the School was devised as an atmosphere of possibilities.
The Hélène Desmarais Building consists of 27 classrooms, a 296-seat amphitheatre, a research wing composed of over 10 research and knowledge transfer units, welcoming and administrative spaces, in addition to an event and conference centre. A library, cafeteria, and indoor garden are also integrated. Such public equipment and new community spaces link the modern face of HEC Montréal with the older elements of the city. Traffic is organized around two perpendicular axes (from De la Gauchetière Street West to René Lévesque Boulevard, and from the entrance to Beaver Hall Street to the Basilica garden). At the intersection of these axes, in an Atrium encompassing 5 storeys, sculptural staircases and elevators guide building users to upper levels.
The design is inspired by Montréal’s geographical and urban qualities, while further defining the metropolitan identity of the new campus. The pedestrian pathways crossing the Building resolve a 9-metre difference in level across the site, connecting the urban fabric with the heritage and landscape environment, from east to west and north to south. Open and accessible on all sides, the Hélène Desmarais Building is like a new prominent inhabitant of the neighbourhood, made entirely of glass, stone, and metal. It constitutes an interface between the Montréal business community and students from all corners of the globe.
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