The project consists of the reconstruction of the roof terrace and lane surrounding the ground floor of the Bronfman building, home to the Desautels Faculty of management. The scope of work includes the demolition of existing precast concrete retaining walls, surface paving and membrane of the existing roof deck aligned with the ground level of the building. The project includes the introduction of three new staircases, the redesign and construction of a series of retaining walls along the street in order to protect existing crab apple trees and introduce additional vegetation. With the expansion of the Desautels faculty of management north across the lane between the Bronfman building into the former bookstore and the reconstruction of McTavish street into the Promenade urbaine, the project also includes the reconstruction of the lane and the introduction of a stepped planter recessed into the sidewalk in front of the new expansion.
Rather than a radical break with the past, the design strategy adopted was to morph the geometry and materiality of the existing precast wall belting the campus into a more nuanced demarcation between the city and the institution. Starting from the existing wall at the corner of Sherbrooke going north, a new granite retaining wall maintains a constant datum, while gradually deforming in section in order to become a threshold that gently marks the edge between the university and the city. Between the wall and the terrace, a planter as well as a series of bollards containing lighting mark this fluid and permeable interface.