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Bonsecours Ceramics Center inc.

Ceramic school and gallery

444 Saint-Gabriel Street, Old-Montréal (Qc)

Originally a FireHouse built in the mid-1800’s, the structure had been used to house municipal offices since the early 1960’s. The building holds three stories above grade and a full basement. The exterior façade is composed of a mix of bush hammered and sawn Montreal Grey limestone. The upper floor is niched behind a mansard clad in slate. The interior structure is made of solid wood.

The program provided for the construction of a special ceramics oven in the basement with adjoining workspace, a small cargo lift to serve all floors, new sprinkler system; the main floor holds a gallery to exhibit ceramic works executed by nationally renown artist and a retail area to sell ceramic work produced in-house and from external sources and administrative offices. The top floors hold classrooms and workshops.

The architects were mandated with supplying both architectural and construction management services. This provided the necessary flexibility to allocate funds efficiently. After demolition, structural elements from the roof and part of the mitoyen walls were found to be dangerously deficient. The additional cost to address these problems was compensated by preserving some finishes and recycling elements.

Building envelope work included a new insulated roof, repointing and washing the masonry, cleaning of all exposed interior masonry, repairing existing windows on the ground floor and providing period type windows on the upper levels.

New HVAC, sprinkler system, new electrical system and lighting reconditioned hot water heating.

J.Robert Thibodeau was the project manager for Claude Gagnon Architect as part of a Design-Build mandate.