Lemay

Lemay: Creative thinking. Collective value.

Founded in 1957 as an architectural practice, Lemay is an internationally recognized integrated design firm. Its unique blend of creativity, large-firm capacity and wide-ranging expertise brings client aspirations to life, creating sustainable value for users and communities around the world. The firm’s commitment to outstanding design also translates into the LemayLAB: an instrument of research and innovation in all aspects of design, which has helped it win over 350 awards and distinctions. Lemay brings together some 450 professionals, earning it a world ranking of 56th largest (World Architecture 2018). For more information, visit lemay.com.

Landscape: Creating quality and sustainable environments for today’s communities demands an integrated approach to landscape design.

We create new places and rejuvenate those that are full of history to embody the past and the future. Lemay’s landscape professionals lead multidisciplinary teams to produce singular projects that capture the collective imagination. In exploration and renewal, Lemay develops original solutions that are both esthetic and functional; places that contribute to the vitality of urban life.

Urban design: In urban design, Lemay adopts a holistic and responsible approach, guided by the environmental context and each place’s unique characteristics.

Lemay views the city differently, analyzing the form and function of every dimension, from city block to city as a whole. Lemay promotes a value-added approach that enhances the sense of place and strikes a balance among functionality, accessibility and design.

Urban & Master Planning: Planning future living spaces to plan the future of living spaces.

Lemay understands the importance of crafting a global vision for an area’s sustainable development. Our planning services are both innovative and context-sensitive; they anticipate changes in public policy, demographics and economy. They seek to comprehend phenomena that shape living environments and document the many issues involved in their development. Lemay shapes the tools that allow us to better plan and manage cities’ and neighbourhoods’ evolution, appreciation and influence.

Sustainability: As much in its internal policies as in its client interactions, we advocates for a net-zero approach aiming at energy self-reliance.

Producing as much energy as we consume is a responsible objective. Lemay is convinced that sustainability can act as a catalyst for the rebirth of living environments in a viable, natural and economic context. Beyond reducing the ecological footprint, we guide our clients in addressing climate change by proposing healthy and sustainable measures, as well as concrete actions that lead to major savings.

1 The Chemin Qui Marche Lookout

The Chemin-Qui-Marche Lookout is a waterside linear park that tells the story of its own colourful past as a historic port, industrial site and railyard. Its boardwalk offers panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River, Montreal’s Old Port, the heterogeneous shoreline, historic Old Montreal and other icons. Its name is derived from an aboriginal expression for the St. Lawrence River. Loosely translated, it means “the path that walks.” The concept for the park aimed to highlight the site’s history, the nearby contemporary urban grid and the site’s key characteristics, while following myriad sustainable development principles.

The river and its wharves – The St. Lawrence River has been a defining force for the City of Montreal, and it remains the most extraordinary aspect of the site. Comfortable rest areas enable 180-degree views of its maritime grandness and a regular procession of international cruise and cargo ships.

Vestiges of former railway lines – Oblique axes traversing the area recall railway lines that once criss-crossed the site. A green roof has been built on top of a still-active railway tunnel, while site furniture is inspired by the railways’ language with its cast-iron detailing.

Historic and evolving Montreal – Milestones from Montreal’s history are revealed through stories etched onto comfortable wooden benches.

2 Frédéric-Back Park

This transformative project is integral to the progressive environmental rehabilitation of a 192-hectare site: one of the most ambitious such urban projects in North America. Originally a vast tract of agricultural land, this area was used as a calcium quarry and a landfill for decades.

The spheres – The Lemay team first had to develop a way to safely capture gases still being emitted by the former landfill. The resulting protective casings for 250 biogas-capturing wells are a whimsical and unexpected solution, the signature spheres inviting exploration and absorbing sunlight to create a soft, surreal glow in the evening.

A community resource – Lemay also designed and integrated interpretive panels for each entrance to the site, providing educational information and facilitating wayfinding while establishing a consistent brand image. A sheltered lookout offers the ultimate metropolitan perspective, with panoramic views of downtown Montreal and icons such as Mount Royal, the Olympic Stadium, the city’s international airport, and as far as Montreal Island’s north shore. Playground and picnic areas enhance the area’s attractiveness for families, while grasses are allowed to grow wild and accentuate the surreal nature of the surroundings.

Project: Frederic-Back Park, formerly Saint-Michel Environmental Complex (CESM) | Landscape Architecture: Lemay | Completion Date: 2017 | Project Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Client: City of Montreal | Sub-consultants: Elema Experts-Conseils, Morelli Designers, Belanger Branding Design, Lightemotion | Furniture: Lemay and Morelli Designers | Biogas-capturing wells: Lemay and Morelli Designers | Size: 192 hectares | Photo credits: Adrien Williams, Lemay, Ville de Montreal

3 Paquet Wharf and Esplanade

What was a mere drop-off point has been transformed into a landmark and a grand entrance to the City of Lévis. At the heart of the design, a monumental fountain with 160 jets performs a stunning spectacle of sequences in a multi-coloured light show. The sprawling, friendly fountain connects the two shores, and connects the City of Lévis to the majestic St. Lawrence River. The multifunctional wharf is an intermodal hub accessible by foot, bicycle, bus, boat and international cruise ship. The green and hardscape areas of the esplanade are designed and equipped to host festivals, concerts and other events. Colourful gardens provide greenspace and a festive backdrop. Architectural “ice pools” with islands, and benches in the form of floating ice, recall the history of La Traverse (the crossing between Quebec City and Lévis), which was more or less icebound in winter before modern icebreakers. The project’s custom furniture and lighting recall the area’s industrial and maritime past, with wooden blocks resembling the harbour’s original wooden docks, benches in the form of ships’ bows and cast iron-inspired furniture. Subtle plaques recount key moments in the site’s history as a trading space for Indigenous peoples, a Jesuit settlement, a foundry, a shipbuilding and railway hub, a nexus of the industrial golden age and, until this last transformation, an unassuming brownfield waiting to realize its tremendous potential.

Practice name: Lemay
Website: https://lemay.com
Email: lemay@lemay.com
Address: 3500 St. Jacques Street, Montreal, QC., Canada, H4C 1H2
Phone: +1 514 932-5101

Published on July 10, 2018