Functional and unique, Bellechasse Transport Centre will be Canada’s first multi-storeyed centre of its kind, and the only such centre in North America to be built entirely underground. Equipped to host a fleet of 100% electric buses, it will welcome some 300 hybrid STM buses as of January 2022.
A unique project that embodies the STM’s mission and values
The concept was unveiled yesterday by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, STM Board Chairman Philippe Schnobb and François William Croteau, mayor of the Montreal borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie.
Located on the block formed by Bellechasse St., De Gaspé Ave., Marmier and Saint-Dominique Streets, the project is based on four distinct architectural components:
• The shape: in line with the urban features along the railway route, the shape of the building draws its energy from the spiral and becomes a circular volume, a nod to the dynamics of the neighbourhood, imbuing the project with a singular character;
• The plane: the project’s unified gesture, a roof that also functions as a large public square. It reaches out toward the surrounding residential area as it connects to the railway-adjacent linear park to the south;
• The spiral: the root of the project, the spiral deployed becomes the internal bus traffic ramps, defining the building’s overall geometry;
• The footprint: a bold strategy, a program integrated largely underground, across the entire site, minimizing the impact and countering the negative perceptions that usually result from the introduction of such a massive building, within the given context.
“The transdisciplinary design process was exceptionally collaborative, and that was key to its success,” said architect Jean-François Gagnon, Lemay associate and design director for the project.
“We worked closely with all stakeholders to best meet the objectives, and even exceed all expectations, overcoming preconceived notions. The result is an architecture that reflects the STM’s image.”
Bellechasse Transport Centre, Society in Motion
The architectural proposal for the Bellechasse Transport Centre centres on the enhancement of the urban context by reinforcing connections, namely between the residential district and the adjacent green network, by reducing the environmental impact of such a centre and by offering a civic dimension.
Like the STM’s much-acclaimed Stinson Transport Centre, also designed by Lemay, Bellechasse will be built according to sustainable development principles, with the aim of achieving LEED Gold v4 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, among the industry’s most stringent. In addition, in early 2019, the STM will launch community consultations to integrate citizen vision into the project design.
Valued at $254 million, this project is made necessary by the dilapidated state of the Saint-Denis Transport Centre. Work is expected to begin in the spring of 2019, with the new facility to be commissioned in January 2022.
Click here to read the press release from the Société de transport de Montréal.
