When design speaks to its surroundings
Client
CogirLocation
Montreal, QC, CanadaYear
2021Area
63 000 m²-
Discipline(s)
Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineering
Sustainability
Interior Design
Urban Design
When design speaks to its surroundings
A building can live and breathe. Its design can absorb and contribute to the energy and aesthetic of its surroundings. The Humaniti complex in Montreal’s Quartier international does just that. Designed from the outside-in, it reflects the richness and diversity of its surroundings while taking on a life of its own.
Located at the heart of vibrant downtown Montreal, Humaniti’s mix of luxury hotel, condo and rental units, offices, restaurants, boutiques and public spaces is the embodiment of the “live, work, play” lifestyle. Inhabitants and onlookers alike are invited to interact and admire. Even the project’s unique H-shaped design promotes a dialogue and openness across its 39 floors of many differing vocations.
Another example of open and generous design is Humaniti’s expansive multifunctional plaza. This outdoor space is a unique extension of the magnificent Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle facing it, named for the famed Canadian sculptor. His famous “La Joute” sculpture seems to quietly communicate with its majestic neighbour. On the larger of two towers, a hive-like architectural gesture reinforces the vertical city concept. Its human scale and well-defined groupings of condos and apartments evoke a smaller, community feel while accommodating hundreds of dwellings.
As the first residential project to be awarded WELL certification in Canada, Humaniti rental condos demonstrates what’s possible when well-being and health are central to our living spaces, and the limits of biophilic design and sustainable development are surpassed through rigorous research and careful, human-centered designs.
“Plenty of tower projects pay lip service to addressing human and metropolitan scales without getting either right. This one seems to find the balance between big-city verticality and the comforts of home.”— Aaron Seward, juror, AN Best of Design Awards