ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
We wanted to focus on a central and fully exposed facility that would invoke a greater sense of being part of the overall social vibe of the college .
“ We approached this project as being a very important tool for promoting a greater sense of community among students ,” explains ACDF President , Maxime-Alexis Frappier , an alumnus of the college and one of the architects of the school ’ s modern campus masterplan . “ We wanted to focus on a central and fully exposed facility that would invoke a greater sense of being part of the overall social vibe of the college .”
Heritage first Collège Notre-Dame forms part of Montreal ’ s Mont- Royal Heritage Site , a protected area comprising Mont-Royal Park , cemeteries , institutions , residential neighborhoods , and some of the largest green spaces on the island . That designation placed heritage at the heart of the intervention , echoing the thoughtful design philosophy of ACDF .
Collège Notre-Dame ’ s expansive campus includes legacy heritage buildings that reflect varying eras of English and French-inspired architecture , including initial buildings built in the 1880s , and subsequent expansions completed in 1929 . Major extensions were again added in the 1960s , infusing modernist
architectural language into the campus . Remarkably , the eclectic architectural styles have evolved as a set of harmonious buildings , and ACDF endeavored to continue that legacy within the structure of a contemporary architectural concept .
Opening a window onto campus life
ACDF applied a horizontal language to the design of a massive rectangular building , with an upper level characterized by an opaque façade of anthracitecoloured aluminium panelling that conceals the
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