Building student accommodation differently

Peel Street, south of Sherbrooke Street West, in downtown Montreal, the construction of a 19-story building attracts little attention. However, it is done without a crane, and the floors already built are overseen by an unusual structure, which overhangs the sides. Welcome to the world of entrepreneurs who are not afraid to innovate using Upbrella technology, developed by a South Shore company.

Danielle Bonneau
Press

The name Werkliv appears in large letters on one of the protective walls, behind which the workers are busy, announcing that it is a future residence for students. Daniel Goodfellow, founder and president of the company, has made student housing his specialty since he first started in business, while studying at McGill University.

His family is originally from Morocco, but he grew up in Toronto, where he studied in French. Moving to Montreal for his university studies, he bought his first condo in 2003. His mother guaranteed him and he used his student loans as a down payment. The apartment being spacious, he added a third bedroom to live with two friends and share the costs.

“By densifying, it was more pleasant and I managed to lower what it cost me each month,” he explains. This principle still prevails. In Mildoré, there will only be apartments with three or four bedrooms. Those with four bedrooms will include two bathrooms and a kitchen. “

Little by little, his company bought, renovated and resold larger and larger buildings, to continue to grow, both in Montreal and in Halifax. He had never yet embarked on a construction project until the land conveniently located on Peel Street, near the metro station of the same name, caught his attention. It was only after buying it that he wondered how he was going to go about building a 19-story building in a small space enclosed between buildings. As the land could not accommodate a crane, it was necessary to innovate.

“If you’re in Montreal and looking for a solution to replace a crane, at least consider the Upbrella construction method,” explains the 38-year-old entrepreneur. As soon as we met Joey Larouche, who is the design engineer, we were sold on working with him. It’s really a process with him and his team. The whole project was designed around the lifting system, which offers several advantages. ”

One floor at a time

From the outside, the building under construction at 2025 Peel Street stands out with its imposing structure, which surmounts it. Inside, the workers are busy, sheltered from the elements, in complete safety.

Construction is carried out floor by floor. The roof, installed as soon as the first repetitive floor has been completed on the foundation, is raised with each new floor in a single operation, thanks to a system of jacks. A new construction zone surrounded by a protective wall is then created. Subsequently, while some will assemble the structure of the next floor, others will work on the floors below. The building will thus be completed gradually.

Le Mildoré is the third building in downtown Montreal using Upbrella technology, marketed by 3L Innogenie, founded by mechanical engineer Joey Larouche, his father, Gilles, and his cousin, Justin Larouche.

Le Rubic, a 10-storey rental building built on René-Lévesque Boulevard East, between Atateken and Wolfe streets, paved the way in 2015. During winter 2019, 6 floors were added above the Le hotel. Germain Montréal, which now has 23. The construction of a building that will house social housing is underway, in its preliminary phase, in the Principality of Monaco. Other projects will be unveiled shortly.

“We are developing sheltered construction solutions for all building lifecycles,” says Joey Larouche. We are doing new construction, we are raising existing buildings and, in 2022, we will have a first facade rehabilitation project in downtown Montreal. We will use our shelter to redo the exterior walls of existing buildings. ”

Create new trails

According to the co-founder of 3L Innogenie, innovating requires a special attitude.

“When we innovate, we enter into an approach whose results are very promising, but they are also, to a certain point, uncertain,” explains Joey Larouche. This takes clients and partners like Werkliv, the Germain Group and the Principality of Monaco, who are visionaries and who are comfortable with this innovative approach. Maybe it will go a little better than expected, maybe it will go as planned, but maybe we will run into problems and we will have to find some solutions, the result of which will be a little worse than the one we are aiming for. ”

Construction of the Mildoré was completed at 10^e floor, at the end of November. Various advantages, in addition to not using a crane, influenced Daniel Goodfellow’s decision to do business with 3L Innogenie.

“One of the big challenges in Quebec is the climate,” explains the latter. When all year round steel erectors, formworkers and everyone else work in the shelter, there is no reason to have a drop in productivity. It is not true that the work is done at the same pace and that it is also safe, in the winter, when the weather is – 40 ^oC, in the open air, only in summer. ”

The fact that many of the components are machined, reducing waste, and that most of the construction is steel, also appeals to the contractor. As Werkliv holds B Corp certification, he is keen to reduce the ecological footprint of the construction of the Mildoré, which will accommodate 279 tenants in 69 apartments with 4 bedrooms and one with 3 bedrooms.

“The way we design our apartments is really very important to me,” he explains. Collocation is a form of densification. We create apartments where several people can live. There is really a reduction in what is consumed per person, both in terms of construction and in terms of long-term maintenance of the building, since the heated space is used by four people. ”

Student housing will be ready for spring 2022. Furnished, each room will be offered at $ 885, heating included.