Modernization and transformation of the Gabrielle-Roy library (in construction)

The current building housing the Gabrielle-Roy library, with an area of 8,400 m2, consisted in the modernization and enlargement of the library including the renovation of the five existing floors (including the basement), the renovation of the he current envelope of the building as well as the construction of an extension on the side of rue Saint-Joseph est in order to offer the new library a gross area of nearly 10,500 m2.

The Gabrielle-Roy library project is part of a large project to repair the block in the Place Jacques-Cartier complex: a new public square, the integration of a bus shelter from the RTC, the repair of the streets peripherals and reconstruction of the parking lot and a new building recently built in the eastern part of the site. The heart of this strategy is the affirmation of a “technocultural” vocation for the city center, the library of which will become the emblem.

The architectural interventions being very invasive inside the existing building by the addition of a central foyer, a multimedia room on two floors, as well as numerous selective demolitions, the complete seismic rehabilitation of the building was necessary so as to ensure compliance with codes at this level. In addition, the presence of many overhangs required fine coordination between the addition of reinforcing parts and the existing structure.