Link is a new residential tower, a student housing designed by ACDF Architecture, a Quebecois firm, in Shaughnaussy Village, near four university campuses, in Montreal, Canada. The surrounding blocks are characterised by high-rise buildings raised in the mid-20th century

The urban rules protect three Victorian townhouses on the site, that was incorporated into the project with a singular precast concrete façade paying homage to the neighbourhood's Victorian architecture through the design of gabled and arched openings. This concept was the idea to name the building Link.

ACDF Architecture designed a 19-story apartment building in downtown Montreal that features a precast concrete exterior with a mosaic of soft colors and shapes evoking the morphologies of the city's Victorian homes. At its base are the facades of three heritage homes, which have been rehabilitated and now serve as the tower's main entrance.

The hues also evoke the limestone construction of Victorian homes. The openings that pierce the façade are in the contours of arches, gables, and rectangles, all created to reference the smaller houses below. The cut-out project serves as enclosed windows and balconies.

Link by ACDF Architecture. Photograph by Adrien Williams. Link por ACDF Architecture. Fotografía por Adrien Williams.

Link by ACDF Architecture. Photograph by Adrien Williams. 

Project description by ACDF architecture

Link by ACDF Architecture is a 19-story apartment building in Downtown Montreal that features a precast concrete exterior that has been brought to life with a patchwork of colors and shapes to evoke the city’s charming Victorian houses. At its base are the facades of three existing heritage structures, which have been rehabilitated and now serve as the tower’s main entrance.

The rest of the Link tower has been placed at a setback from the facades of the townhouses to magnify their architectural features and to create a more human-scaled experience at street level. A combination of grey tones on the precast concrete panels relates to the adjacent 1960s concrete towers that flank the tower. The hues also evoke the limestone construction of Victorian houses. The openings puncturing the façade are in the outlines of archways, gabled homes, and rectangles – all created to reference the smaller houses below. The cut-out design serves as windows and enclosed balconies. 

“We composed a contemporary quilt consisting of gabled dormers, low-arch dormers and rectangular dormers. This assembly of shapes celebrates the neighbourhood’s rich and diverse past in a playful way,” said ACDF’s Maxime-Alexis Frappier.

From a design challenge perspective, Link had to take into account the adjacent, mid-century concrete towers and the historic language of the lower Victorian buildings. The project is unique in creating a dialogue between these two styles, and eras. ACDF’s reinterpretation of both architecture styles is the solution for integrating Link into its urban surroundings. By retreating from the lower historic facades, but also joining the two buildings of great heights on both sides, the project acts as link. 

“It was very important for us to create a project that connected with the architectural language of the existing Victorian style façades,” said ACDF’s Maxime-Alexis Frappier. “The tower acts as a bridge to the history of the area. We also thought the playful aspect of the project could improve the feeling of Lincoln Street.”

Link by ACDF Architecture. Photograph by Adrien Williams. Link por ACDF Architecture. Fotografía por Adrien Williams.
Link by ACDF Architecture. Photograph by Adrien Williams. 

ACDF designed Link to be a tower that was spirited, human-scaled, and harmonious. Composed like a painting, the building features a dark granite frame surrounding its construction, which enhances its pictorial quality. The shading of the loggias, the recessed windows, and the mineral quality further develop a cinematic and sensorial experience.

Joining other recent projects in this part of Downtown Montreal, Link is part of the revitalization and residential densification of the Quartier des Grands Jardins. Created with developer Brivia Group, it provides housing for Montreal’s vibrant student demographic (the city is home to four prominent universities) and is close to Concordia University. It comprises 122 dwellings in studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom plans, and is complete with a rooftop patio, gym, and communal areas.

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Architects
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Project Team
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Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Joan Renaud, Alain Desforges, Eric Milette, Martin Champagne, Laurent Bélisle, Christelle Montreuil Jean-Pois.

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Collaborators
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Structural Engineer.- Sylvain Parr & Associates Inc.
Mechanical Engineer, Civil Engineer.- Équipe SP Inc.
Electrical and Telecommunications Engineer.- Équipe SP Inc.
Heritage Consultant.- Contexture.

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Owner and Representatives
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Residential Development Lincoln.

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Client
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Brivia Group.

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General Contractor
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Sidcan.

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Dates
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Commissioning.- 2022.
Completion.- 2023.

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Location
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Shaughnaussy Village. Montreal, Canada.
 

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Photography
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ACDF Architecture. Architecture firm based in Montreal, Canada. ACDF received in 2010 a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture and in 2013, Maxime-Alexis Frappier, one of the firm’s co-founder, received the Young Architect Award from the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada.

Maxime-Alexis Frappier graduated from the Université de Montréal School of Architecture in 2000 and received the “Canadian Student Architect Excellence Award” for her thesis project. In September 2006, he co-founded the ACDF firm, which has designed a wide variety of architectural projects in Canada and around the world over the years. As the firm's principal architect,

In 2013, he received the Young Architect Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. The projects he has built have been widely published and have earned him several awards of excellence, including the Governor General's Medal in Architecture.

He has participated as a member of the jury of national and international competitions. Since 2005, Maxime-Alexis Frappier has shared his passion for architecture as a visiting professor at the Université de Montréal. He has been a frequent visiting critic at architecture schools and has taught at Ho Chi Minh City University in Vietnam. Frappier has also been invited to give numerous lectures and presentations. He has participated in the media, contributing to the public recognition of the profession. He presented a weekly segment on Radio-Canada's "L'après-midi porte conseil" radio show in 2012 and was a guest on the ARTV television show "Créer" hosted by René Richard Cyr.

Joan Renaud is a partner and core member of the design team at ACDF. Together with Maxime-Alexis Frappier, he leads the overall design of the firm’s projects. A strong bond was born out of the duo’s first collaboration in 2007 and resulted in the development of high-quality projects that successfully combine efficiency and aesthetics. Joan Renaud participates in several award-winning projects, including the Diane-Dufresne Art Centre in Repentigny, the Saint-Eustache Library, the La Malbaie Library as well as Parq Vancouver. He also led the design of many tech offices such as Lightspeed phases 1-2-3, Adgear-Samsung Montreal, Playster and Upgrade, which were granted many prestigious national and international awards: the Frame Awards, the Best of Year Awards – Interior Design Magazine, the Grand Prix du design, the American Architecture Prize, the Best of Canada Awards – Canadian Interiors and the Make it work Awards – Interior Design Magazine amongst others.

Étienne Laplante Courchesne joined ACDF in 2008. He develops complex projects, such as the Sélection Panorama in Ste-Dorothée, the Hotel Monville in Montreal, the District Union development in Terrebonne and a large spectrum of various mixed-use projects.

Act. 22.05.2018 - 03.12.2022.
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