Guy-Metro Building - a retrofit for a new era
Engineers can tell you a building’s footprint cannot be changed after it’s been built, but its carbon footprint can.
The 46-year-old Guy-Metro (GM) Building is getting a major overhaul to bring it up to current building standards. The upgrade will be paid for by the Quebec government public infrastructure upgrade investment program.
Work has already begun on the building’s lobby. To minimize the disruption to building occupants and visitors, one half of the lobby is being done at a time. The second half will soon be dismantled and the building will be accessible from the street only through the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building), not by the main entrance.
Access to the building’s parking garage and to the Metro will not be disrupted. The security desk will remain in the lobby but will be shifted to accommodate the construction.
By the end of the month, full access to the building will be restored, though some design elements will not yet be completed: The ceiling in the lobby will be finished in April and granite floors will be installed toward the end of the project in October.
The project will become more complicated and disruptive to traffic and pedestrian flow in March when the exterior walls are replaced.
The east wall will be replaced first, followed by the south one. The east wall will be completed in May and the south wall will be completed in June.
The west and north walls will follow, but the old facade must be removed entirely before the new walls go up due to the way they are currently mounted. Occasional and temporary street closures are expected during this phase that runs from June to November.
The building upgrade also includes a new roof and new heating/cooling units that will allow for greater control over temperature and humidity. The new exterior promises better insulation against the elements. The single-pane windows will be replaced by double-pane windows filled with argon (an inert gas used in light bulbs), and a vapour barrier will be installed. The new units, combined with the new exterior, are expected to reduce the consumption of natural gas by 65%.
During the replacement of the outer walls, building occupants whose offices are affected will be temporarily relocated. In the intricate relocation plan, coordinators have managed to keep offices in the same area or on the same floor where possible. While batch updates to the online directory are already planned for each move, visitors are advised to verify locations before setting out. There will be signage installed to redirect people.
Once completed, the new exterior of the GM Building will more closely resemble the Molson (MB) and EV Buildings and add to the distinctiveness of Quartier Concordia.
Toward the end of the project, once the outer walls are completed, the elevator cabins will be replaced.
Comments or concerns about the construction should be relayed through the Service Centre at 514-848-2424, ext. 2400.
Related links:
- NOW story announcing beginning of construction
- Quartier Concordia
- more about all Concordia buildings on the Building Concordia site