Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux
Menkès Shooner Dagenais Letourneux Architectes is a Canadian architectural firm based in Montreal, Quebec. They are known for their design and management of large complex corporate, institutional, commercial, cultural, and residential architectural projects, most of which are located in Montreal. Being well versed in project management, construction, and environmental design experience, MSDL has won many projects from large and well known clients, and their work has been recognized with numerous provincial and national design awards. They are considered to be one of Canada's largest architectural design firms, and as of 2018, have over 120 employees.
History
Menkès Shooner Dagenais Architectes was founded in 1994 by partners René Menkès, Anik Shooner, and Yves Dagenais. The firm's name was changed to Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes in 2004 when Jean-Pierre LeTourneux of LeTourneux Dupuis Architectes was added as a founding principle.MSDL started out in the early 1990s as the Quebec branch of the once large and multinational architecture firm WZMH Architects. At the time, the large corporate firm had been facing management problems due to its size, and had started breaking off into independent local practices. René Menkès, one of the four original founders of WZMH Architects, had maintained professional ties to Quebec clients and colleagues and thus continued to solely operate the Montreal/Quebec branch. In 1994, he recruited Anik Shooner and Yves Dagenais, two employees of WZMH Architects at the time, to co-found Menkes Shooner Dagenais Architectes. During this period of transition, René led to completion the design and construction of four large office tower projects in downtown Montreal and also the Canadian Space Agency Headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec. These projects - the KPMG Tower, the Scotia Tower, the BNP-Paribas Tower, the McGill College Tower, and the John H. Chapman Space Centre - are credited to both WZMH Architects and MSDL Architectes.
After its founding, the office began to diversify from its initial specialization in skyscrapers into other programmatic categories, such as institutional, cultural, and residential buildings. More recently, they have added sustainable building and energy efficient design to their expertise.
Design Approach
MSDL emphasizes client need, site context, user experience, and sustainability in their design approach. Their process focuses on the well-being and comfort of the user. Through each project, they aim to respect the surrounding environment while “enriching” it with architecture that is distinct, functional, and “delights the senses and expands the horizons of our perception”.The firm has received several distinctions in sustainable building design. The :fr:Pavillons Lassonde|Lassonde Pavilions at the École Polytechnique de Montréal earned Quebec its first LEED Gold certification for an institutional building in 2005. In 2013, the :fr:Maison du développement durable|Center for Sustainable Development was awarded with Quebec's first LEED Platinum certification for new construction. Many of MSDL's recent projects have also obtained LEED Gold certification, such as the 2013 Research Center for the University of Montreal Health Centre, the 2016 "Growing Up Healthy" CHU Sainte-Justine expansion, the 2017 Maison Manuvie tower, and the multi-phase Bassins du Havre condominium project. MSDL is a member of the Canada Green Building Council, and many of the firm's employees are LEED certified.
MSDL uses various building information modeling software to facilitate the management and coordination of a large number of projects. The firm runs an in-house blog with tips and tutorials on how to use BIM technology such as Revit, and other plugins such as Excel, Dynamo, Rhino, and Grasshopper.
Recent Projects
National Bank of Canada Montreal Headquarters
MSDL was selected in May 2018 to design the new head office for the National Bank of Canada. The proposed program is a skyscraper that will be solely occupied by National Bank, which will house most of the company's current Montreal teams. This building will host upgraded office space that supports a modernized workflow, advanced technology, and increased collaboration. These changes give National Bank the flexibility to adapt to new technological demands as well as improve the experience and health of its employees. The proposed 40-story tower will be located on Saint-Jacques Street "at the gateway to downtown", and will be clad mostly in glass to make use of day-lighting.This project will be one of Montreal's largest building investments in 25 years, and will also be the tallest building constructed in Montreal since 1992. The sustainability targets for this project are LEED v4 Gold and WELL Building Standard. Construction groundbreaking took place on November 7, 2018, and is estimated to be complete by the end of 2022. The new National Bank of Canada tower will not only have office space, but also banking branch, conference center, and amenities including a cafeteria, daycare, gym, outdoor roof garden. At the ground level, a large, publicly accessible urban park will be built to support recreational foot traffic.
Esplanade Place Ville Marie Revitalization Project (Le Cathcart Restaurants et Biergarten)
Designed in partnership with Sid Lee Architecture and A5 Hospitality, this project is one of “four pillars” of Ivanhoé Cambridge's “Project Nouveau Centre”, a $1 billion project initiated in 2017 to revitalize downtown Montreal. The intent of this $200 million project is to transform Place Ville Marie into an urban destination and gathering spot that makes use of its central location in the city.The most notable component of the project is Le Cathcart Restaurants et Biergarten, the new food hall located just below the center of Place Ville Marie's elevated Esplanade Plaza. It replaces the old food court in Place Ville-Marie's underground shopping mall, which is a central connection node in Montreal's underground pedestrian network. The food hall's main feature is a large 16 ft height glass roof that is composed of 18 panels of high performance insulated glass and supported by 18 8-ply glass beams. This roof replaces four existing skylights that previously covered this space. The roof's transparency is exaggerated by visually obscuring structural connections. What results is a seamless visual continuity between the exterior plaza above and the interior food hall below, allowing the food hall to become a "a true indoor extension of the city". The space itself is 35,000 sq ft in area and seats 1000 customers. It is divided into three areas based on dining style - the east side consists of nine fast food counters and seating for takeaway meals, while the west side houses three restaurant/bistros with table service. The central "pavilion" under the glass ceiling is the well-lit “Biergarten” which features a cafe and a bar. Planters are abundantly placed throughout the food hall, but are most concentrated under the sunlight from the glazed roof to form an indoor garden. This area's bamboo deck flooring further mimics exterior conditions to form an aesthetic connection to the Esplanade above. In addition to being used as seating, the central “Biergarten” area can be rearranged for use as an event space.
Outside, at the level of the Esplanade, a grand staircase that leads from the Esplanade directly to McGill College Avenue was added, restoring the street's “historic link” to René-Lévesque Blvd and also the view of Mount Royal from the Esplanade. In addition, to establish a more direct and attractive connection between the outdoor street and the Place Ville Marie underground shops and food hall, a new set of entrances were created along Cathcart Street.