The McCord Museum of Canadian History
Renovation and expansion of the McCord Museum of Canadian History * Montreal
The McCord Museum of Canadian History occupies a heritage building designed at the beginning of the last century by architect Percy Nobbs. The Sherbrooke Street site is located in a dense downtown sector and is bordered by high-rises. Consequently, the challenge was to integrate the expansion into its surroundings, while giving the building a certain majesty.
The museum is organized in a series of horizontal strata penetrated by carefully modulated vertical spaces, creating an intimate ambience.
The concept of the expansion was inspired by the desire to maintain the originality and formality of the existing building. Stone and copper are used in an imaginative way in continuity with the tradition that marks the McGill University campus buildings north of Sherbrooke Street.
The value of the museum's unique collections dictated that careful attention be paid to the technical and security aspects of the building. A 'double envelope' concept was developed to control humidity and the allowance of natural light, thereby respecting the building's existing character. Large underground spaces were created to serve as storage for collections, maintaining tight security while providing access.
The project was conceived with the involvement of many participants, including representatives from the museum, McGill University, financiers, the project manager and those of the neighbouring buildings, i.e. Le Caveau restaurant and the Alliance building, with which access and services are shared.
Conceived in direct collaboration with the SHDU, the project was approved through the Ville-Marie borough's CCA consultation process.
Due to the project's respect of the building's heritage and sensitive architectural nature, the project was well-received and won several awards, including the 1992 Award of Excellence from the Ordre des Architectes du Québec, as well as a 1994 Governor General's Award for Architecture.
Project date: 1988 to 1991
Surface Area: 9 250 m2
Budget: $17.1M
Team: Michel Desrosiers, Claude Sauvageau, Louis Bellefleur, Michel Bourassa, Denis Gaudreault, Nicole Pelletier
Role: Plans, specifications and work supervision
project date : 1988 to 1991
surface area : 9 250m2
budget : 17.1 M$
team : Michel Desrosiers, Claude Sauvageau, , Louis Bellefleur, Michel Bourassa, Denis Gaudreault, Nicole Pelletier
