This text is part of the special Real Estate section
“Imagine if we had razed the Old Port of Montreal! exclaims with consternation Claudine Déom, professor at the School of Architecture and head of the Conservation of Built Heritage option at the Université de Montréal (UdeM). If the destruction of this “flagship of Montreal” seems inconceivable today, it was nevertheless envisaged in the 1960s in order to build the Ville-Marie expressway there.
” Places [comme celui-ci] can be etched in people’s memories and be an important manifestation of a point of attachment and anchor of identity for a society, says Ms.me Deom. In my opinion, heritage has a role to play in the objectives of inclusion, of a feeling of belonging. »
The conservation of the built heritage must also be part of the calculations with a view to sustainable development, continues the specialist. “The greenest building is the one that already exists,” she explains. We can no longer afford, as a society, to throw away, waste, send materials to scrap, when we have buildings that are usable, that can be reused,” she observes, emphasizing the contribution of the construction industry to the emission of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change.
Strengthen the administrative framework
If the Old Port of Montreal was spared from destruction, many heritage buildings in the province are far from having the same luck. The former Hôtel-Dieu, the former Hôpital de la Miséricorde, corner René-Lévesque and Saint-Hubert, the Royal Victoria, the former Institut des Sourdes-muettes, rue Saint-Denis: even the major heritage complexes of the metropolis are deteriorating in indifference, laments Claudine Déom.
In 2019, the Auditor General of Quebec, Guylaine Leclerc, also made severe observations during an audit on the question: absence of an intervention strategy in terms of real estate heritage, little supervision of municipalities by the Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC), lack of information to properly intervene in Quebec’s real estate heritage, etc.
Steps have since been taken, including a new cultural heritage law, increased obligations for municipalities, and an MCC program to promote the hiring of heritage experts by municipalities. Heritage is more and more present in the preliminary studies of development projects. “The graduates, we tear them away. The clients are architectural agencies, private developers, municipalities, who seek to have heritage expertise,” rejoices M.me Deom.
To meet the needs of the market and of students, the Faculty of Environmental Design at the Université de Montréal will be offering a new micro-program in the conservation of built heritage starting in the fall. For 35 years, the institution has also offered expertise in this area, attracting urban planners, architects and historians in particular. “We have always had in our program professionals who are in practice, and who wish to enrich their experience with heritage training, says Ms.me Deom. On the other hand, we have testimonials from people who want training, but who don’t have the time to invest in a master’s degree. »
The training, which takes up the fundamental courses of the master’s degree, can be followed full-time for two terms, or even part-time for more than a year. To facilitate the training of professionals, the courses are given at the end of the day, generally in hybrid form.
Paradigm shift
“The worst enemy of heritage is forgetting,” argues the professor. We all have a responsibility to see our immediate environment and see what brings quality of life and well-being. According to the specialist, changes in mentality will be necessary to better protect and revalorize the heritage in the province.
“These are places for which we have not really planned to reuse, which we let sleep – not to say abandoned -, and after that, we will say ‘it’s too complicated, it’s too deteriorated, too hard”, we are looking for the project that will replace it, she observes. I think we have to stop isolating heritage and saying “we don’t touch”. Heritage is not static, but dynamic. It must be included, integrated into society, which means that it is necessary to accept that there is change, she believes, giving as an example the transitional occupations of vacant buildings. It means finding the balance between preserving the heritage interest and adding another life. »