St. Joseph’s Oratory Redevelopment

Facelift for Montreal Icon

We were awarded the contract to take over the redevelopment of St. Joseph’s Oratory, the largest building for religious worship in Montreal.

Specifically, we are responsible for the following:

• A new 62,582 sq.-ft. pavilion that will be home to a restaurant, a boutique and a one-of-a-kind glass campanile which will host 62 bells weighing a total of 20,000 lbs. The bells have returned from their manufacturer in France, the Paccard foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux. In addition to the 56 restored bells, six new bells have been refurbished after 68 years of use.When played, their chimes will resonate off the glass structure, creating a unique sound. This carillon is the only one in Quebec and one of 11 in Canada.
• The pavilion will have improved access for individuals with reduced mobility. 
• Renovation of the legendary 110-step pilgrimage staircase, with a central section of rare red cedar, flanked by granite sides. The wood sections will sit on a steel base while the granite will sit on a concrete base.
• New landscaping of the front grounds of the Oratory, encompassing a total surface area of 176,818 sq. ft.
• Redevelopment of the parking lot.
• Renovation of a retaining wall.

The project is targeting LEED Silver certification and is meeting all criteria to ensure success.

Ceiling in Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)

The CLT ceiling in the new pavilion is composed of 74 panels weighing approximately 97,000 lbs. The prefabricated panels arrived onsite with their own hardware, and because they had predrilled holes, it meant that putting them in place required exactitude right down to the millimetre. Putting the panels in place required a crane and careful coordination. The whole operation took many manhours of planning to ensure accuracy. Fortunately, we had developed an expertise using this material on other projects, which contributed to our success.

Carillon Structure

To mount the structure of the glass campanile structure presented challenges due to its fragility. Also, the bells arrived in a container from France, which required careful management and handling.

Coordination of Traffic and Parking

This site is one of the most visited places in Quebec, so managing and coordinating the traffic and the parking lot while the work is ongoing requires logistics expertise.