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The UnionThe Redpath Lofts
Industrial becomes residential as abandoned buildings are transformed into chic lofts.
Cardinal Hardy et associés Architectes just completed phases two and three of the design of The Redpath Lofts on the banks of the Lachine canal in Montreal. Abandoned for more than a decade, five of these buildings were recycled into housing and commercial businesses in the first phase, and five others have now been reconverted in these subsequent phases.
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The group of buildings that comprise the old Redpath sugar mill hold important symbolic value in the Montreal landscape. With finesse, the architect has maintained the industrial language of the buildings, while rehabilitating them into residential lofts and commercial space. The assortment of materials is modest and reflects the original: brick, galvanized steel, and painted steel. The facades of the exterior perimeter, canal side, maintain an order and proportion similar to the original buildings. It is only in the courtyard’s walkways, terraces, and exits that one realizes people live in the buildings, since no architectural component associated with domestic use is visible from the other facades.
A promenade allows for a successive transition from the public domain to privates spaces. From St. Patrick Street, occupants have direct access to their lofts via vertical entry halls from the interior courtyard, or by means of a covered footbridge that links to the multi-level parking. The commercial spaces have distinctive entrances from the courtyard. The presence of commercial space encourages pedestrians to use the canal’s public spaces. The courtyard serves as a transitional gateway as much for the residents as for the public. The former mill has definitively risen from the ashes due to this sensitive restoration, worthy of the extraordinary uniqueness of the site.
Formal name of project: The Redpath Lofts
Location: Montreal, Canada
Gross square footage: 350,000 sq.ft.
Completion Date: September 2006
Total construction cost: $60 Millions
Owner: Compagnie Immobilière Gueymard et Associés Ltée
Architect:
Cardinal Hardy et Associés, Architectes
377, rue de la Commune,
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 2E2
TEL 514-844-1818
FAX 514-844-4595
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