Former headquarters of the CNESST in Quebec | Second wind for an emblematic building

A government building in the Old Capital will avoid the peak of demolitions. Representative of the years of the Quiet Revolution, it will come back to life in the form of a residential building with the evocative character of a Quebec in full turmoil.

This former headquarters of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) has been part of the Quebec City skyline since the end of the 1960s. Its construction on the banks of the Saint-Charles River, far from Parliament Hill, which was saturated by the sudden expansion of the public service, raised many eyebrows at the time. Today, it serves as a gateway to Lower Town.

“It’s a building with interesting heritage value,” says Martin Dubois, architect and author of several books on architecture in Quebec. He also produced a study on this building a few years ago, at the request of the CNESST.

Pleased to see the building escape demolition, Mr. Dubois admits that he would have preferred the building to retain its original purpose. “But I am aware that we cannot keep everything. A change of use is preferable to the option of razing everything,” he concedes.

The building was doomed to disappear when, in 2016, the City of Quebec submitted a purchase offer of 5 million to destroy it and resell its land in parcels to developers. The CNESST preferred to wait for a better offer. The following year, she agreed to sell the building to the company Immeubles Simard for the sum of 7 million.

The government agency remained a tenant of the building until its employees moved in June 2021 to a new building in the Beauport borough.

“After analysis, we decided to change the purpose of the building,” continues the manager of Immeubles Simard, who partnered with Ogesco Construction for this project.

Heritage and modernity

Simple in appearance, the project called Rivero still posed a large number of technical constraints. Among these: damaged foundation piles, an aging envelope full of air leaks and a structure that did not meet new anti-seismic standards. Its promoters had to meet all these challenges without harming the heritage value of the building.

The solution adopted: strip the entire structure to retain only the framework made of reinforced concrete slabs and columns. Secondly, add bracing to make it resistant to tremors caused by the Charlevoix seismic zone. Finally, rebuild a lighter and more waterproof envelope.

“Since we removed a lot of weight from the building with the new envelope, but also by replacing the very heavy mechanical systems of the time, the piles no longer posed a problem,” says Jean-Michel Simard.

However, the architects had to convince the Quebec City Planning Commission that the reconstruction would be faithful to the original architectural spirit.

The main facade will notably retain its large marquise, its high glass roof intended to light the entrance hall, as well as its colonnade erected up to its roof to mark the building’s former belonging to the State.

“We identified the significant elements that make up the building’s signature to highlight them,” says Sandrine Toulouse-Joyal, architect and project manager at PMA Architectes, before listing the repetition of openings, the play of light and shadow created by prefabricated panels, the texture of the concrete covering and the absence of visible mechanical systems.

In order not to distort the facades, no balcony could be added to the building. Faced with this requirement, the architects designed a loggia in each apartment.

“It’s a glass roof built into the living space. Open to the outside, it can serve as a sheltered balcony during the summer. But since it’s heated, it can serve as an extra room all year round,” explains Pierre Martin, architect and principal partner at PMA Architectes.

Atypical apartments

Another constraint for the interior design: the unusual dimensions of the building. “Normal housing is 30 feet deep. These will be 50 feet deep,” explains Jean-Michel Simard.

To bring in maximum natural light, the architects maximized window area while minimizing interior partitions. They took advantage of the high concrete ceilings, which are up to 14 feet high, by leaving the plumbing and ventilation ducts exposed rather than hiding them in false ceilings.

The result ? Large lofts with an industrial look. “They stand out from the very refined, Scandinavian-inspired apartments that are currently being built,” says Mr. Simard.

The common areas will echo the history of the building, assures M.^me Toulouse-Joyal. “We are obviously giving nods to the 1970s. We are highlighting light fixtures from that period, mahogany wood, honeycomb-shaped boxes on the ceiling… We had a lot of fun with fabrics, materials, and very modern patterns. I think it will be a lot of fun for future tenants.”

The construction site, which began in June 2023, will require another year of work. The first apartments should be ready by the 1^er July 2025, assures Jean-Michel Simard.

Breathing new life into this heritage building provides great satisfaction, confide the two architects. “I believe that the citizens of Quebec will be happy that we are bringing it back to life, while keeping its architectural signature,” concludes Sandrine Toulouse-Joyal.