Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes offers comprehensive professional architectural services in all areas of practice, from the most modest to the most complex of projects.
We are dedicated to clearly defining the needs of a project from its onset.
The functional and technical studies and programs (FTPs) that we produce are based on the successful realization of numerous projects, of which we keep a comprehensive database. This ensures the reliability and legitimacy of conceptual ideas, supported by proven functional plans, correct surface areas, and realistic costs and timelines that take into account the specific context of each project. In addition to applying a rigorous work methodology, the vision of a project is fueled at all levels by revisiting comparable precedents, undergoing local and international training, attending conferences, and conducting research, thus ensuring the essential work synergy with future users and stakeholders.
In addition, our extensive expertise in the repair, restoration, replacement and design of building envelopes allows us to make accurate assessments of the state of dilapidation of major properties and buildings with heritage value, with a view to prioritizing the solutions to be deployed to curb deterioration and improve sustainability.
Designing a new building, expansion, redevelopment, or restoration is an exhilarating privilege.
The architects and designers of the firm make every effort to create stimulating and luminous environments conducive to well-being. They consider the different levels of complexity of the site and building functions, spatial proportions, and the thoughtful use of healthy and adapted materials.
For each of our projects, we favour the optimal integration of architecture with its environment, a maximum influx of natural light, access to views of the outdoors and natural vegetation, and ease of orientation.
The plans and specifications stage is the most crucial one in terms of effort, as well as the most important in ensuring the quality of the realization of a project. Consequently, the people responsible for this stage are the architects in the firm with the most experience and projects built. Whatever type of project our clients seek to complete (conventional, construction management, turnkey, public-private partnership, accelerated), our execution team is recognized as one of the most experienced and competent in the field.
Our additional specialisation in site supervision and construction contract administration is a major asset in the preparation of plans and specifications and contractual documents. Through feedback from site supervisors and exchanges with the studio, we create a continuous improvement loop in which lessons learned during construction are applied to the design and execution of subsequent projects. This collaborative approach has been at the heart of the firm's practice for decades. Our commitment to delivering high quality documents to the client allows contractors to submit realistic prices, thus avoiding extra construction costs.
The quality of the firm’s site surveillance services is an essential factor in the success of our projects. A tried and tested methodology used in the early stages of construction allows for an adequate understanding of the tasks to be performed by all the participants involved in the construction phase. The rigorous and, above all, proactive monitoring of the work makes it possible to avoid surprises and ensures sound planning of the various stages. Always in solution mode, we count on a team of seasoned supervisors and our surveillance department is constantly on the lookout for new developments regarding settlement resolution, contracts, contracting, and management.
The rigorous approach taken in our realization of large-scale institutional projects is applied to all our interior design and office development projects.
This structured process allows us to create quality environments adapted to the values, customs, and cultures of different types of companies and institutions. Whether we are creating stimulating and healthy workplaces, educational spaces that integrate the latest practices and technologies, or soothing, human areas in the field of health, our firm is known for its ability to synthesize complex programs and to design refined and inviting interiors that are conducive to well-being despite demanding contexts.
Responsible architecture and sustainable development are part of our social role as architects, and our team shares a sensitive and sincere vision to manage land use and minimize the impact of construction on the natural environment.
The development of innovative projects has enabled us to cultivate internal resources and decision-making mechanisms that favour the creation of energy efficient buildings (whether or not they have been completed under the LEED accreditation process) that provide occupants with an improved living environment through the use of healthy materials, privileged access to natural light, and control over their environment, all the while offering a reduced ecological footprint.
Some of these principles have always been part of our practice, such as maximum access to natural light, the design of flexible buildings allowing multi-purpose adaptation, the rational choice of suitable and versatile structural systems, and the effective coordination of electromechanical systems to reduce building heights and energy and material needs, among others.
Our projects are designed, built, operated and maintained in an environmentally friendly manner by managing resources effectively. Our team includes several accredited LEED BD+C professionals who take part in all architectural stages, from design to delivery.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an integrated process within the firm. Using best practices, we centralize and share data as we develop and monitor a given project. Accessible to all stakeholders, this tool allows for increased coordination and a fully integrated workflow that takes into account the entire lifecycle of a building, from its design to construction (sometimes carried out collaboratively with general and specialized contractors) to final use.
Our team started using BIM tools in 2007, and we have since developed a mastery of the process and tool, whether it concerns the level of detail required (LOD), the degree of data sharing needed by a project, the templates employed according to project type, or the collections of families. We train our staff on a regular basis, and the majority of our large-scale projects involving numerous stakeholders are now done in BIM.
The Integrated Design Process (IDP) allows for bringing together all stakeholders of a project in multidisciplinary workshops to consolidate orientations and objectives, and thus improve the final product. Committee members then make decisions encompassing the entire life cycle of a building based on a common vision and a holistic understanding of the project.
Three-dimensional model and plan alternatives are developed in small groups and then evaluated in plenary according to a weighting grid adapted to the context of the project. This process makes it possible to deepen the opinions on criteria such as sustainability, flexibility, functionality, constructability, architectural and urban quality, implementation, costs, technical feasibility, etc. This exercise is carried out taking into account the guiding principles agreed upon in the functional and technical program. The results of the exercise ensure that the project offers the best design and construction at the best cost.
The firm's expertise in heritage restoration, building envelope restoration, roofing, and masonry dates back to the 1970s. Numerous projects testify to the firm's interest in conserving Montréal's heritage, its sensitive treatment of historical elements, and its desire to leave a modern imprint. We believe that a restoration project must be respectful of the authenticity of sites, materials, and building systems. The project should also be adequately adapted for its proper use, especially if this differs from its original use.
We have excellent knowledge of building systems, their evolution throughout the ages, and issues related to water infiltration and insulation. We are able to characterize the performance of an envelope and what may be the causes of degradation. Our concrete experience allows us to detect anomalies, make the necessary recommendations to correct various problems, and draw up plans and specifications for repair and restoration work.
Our organizational structure makes it possible to consolidate in one office all the competencies and expertise essential to the design and realization of projects for new construction of all scales, redevelopment in occupied spaces, and maintenance. Our staff facilitates the process of realization by excelling in restoring envelopes, bringing buildings up to standard, adapting them to new technologies and practices, and managing strategies specializing in the institutional field.
— World Health Organization
For over 35 years, we have been working on redevelopments and new constructions of short-and long-term care facilities in the hospital sector. This complex typology inspires us to create refined and welcoming spaces that are highly functional, integrate sophisticated medical equipment, and consider the precise needs of effective hospital logistics. In constant evolution, the hospital environments we develop are designed with maximum flexibility to continually adapt to the frequent changes occurring in these specialized environments. Our understanding of health is holistic and addresses the physical, mental, and social well-being of patients, staff, and the community at large. Through design, we help institutions take full advantage of physical space and its influence on the health of all occupants by optimizing pathways and ergonomics as well as providing a rich architectural experience for patients and staff throughout the care journey.
We are committed to creating quality spaces that privilege patient healing and the well-being of all occupants. We focus on an abundance of natural light and views of natural landscapes, which significantly influence patient treatment and healing times. We create key reference points to facilitate quality spatial orientation, and we strive to provide contact with the outdoors and nature, which undoubtedly helps to reduce stress and fatigue and offers a better quality of life, not to mention contributes to a higher retention level of medical staff.
The design skills of our staff are never taken for granted. We regularly increase our knowledge of the medical and research fields by actively participating in conferences and trips outside Québec to continually improve the quality of the projects we carry out. Our goal is to create architecture that marries best practices with the organizational, economic, and climatic contexts of the regions in which our projects are built.
Educational sites should encourage the creation and maintenance of multidisciplinary collaborative networks. Influenced by new and constantly evolving technologies, buildings and campuses that we construct today support new teaching methods and pedagogical innovations. Information is no longer solely conveyed by a teacher to a student. Hybrid teaching promotes a collaborative approach to learning and problem solving, and one that involves sharing concrete experiences within teams. For us, education benefits from bright architecture and open, welcoming, interactive, and evolving spaces that promote well-being, learning, and quality exchanges, and this, from pre-school to university.
Encouraging a spirit of collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach have been part of the firm's values since its founding. We work closely with educational institutions in the realization of their projects to translate ever-changing strategic visions of education into successful spaces. We are therefore committed to planning and designing these projects, taking into account the responsibility of institutions to constantly improve the quality of education, while bearing in mind the communities and environments to which they belong.
When it comes to museums, libraries, theatres, and multifunctional halls, the firm is known for designing important cultural buildings with an architecture that is simple, noble, and contemporary. The common denominators that unite cultural projects are innovative design and harmonious site/neighbourhood integration, both of which derive from a profound understanding of pre-existing elements. Within different consortiums, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes has distinguished itself through its collaborative and sensitive approach to the challenges posed by this type of institution, which caters to a large public and benefits from high visibility.
In the interest of creating environmentally sustainable projects, we see the relationship of a building to its landscape and adjacent public spaces as a natural extension of the cultural experience, and therefore incorporate this into our design approach to improve the overall visitor experience of the completed project.
Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes has been a leader in the field of transportation since the early 1980s. From the design of the Côte-Vertu métro station completed in 1986 and the carrying out of numerous projects of all scales at the Montreal-Trudeau and Mirabel airports since 1987, to the completion of the REM Airport Station, our projects are known for being sustainable and highly functional —they incorporate the latest technologies— while offering a quality environment, conducive to the well-being of commuters and travelers. In this constantly evolving field, our knowledge is regularly expanded.
The successive mandates carried out for Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) amount to nearly 200 studies and projects to date. They aim at enhancing the passenger experience through the expansion and modernization of existing facilities, improving operational efficiency, and bringing existing buildings into compliance with complex industry codes and standards. More than $1.5 billion of construction work has been completed so far, and all of it was conducted while maintaining continuous operations at the airport.
In collaboration with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the firm has designed metro entrances integrated into the projects it has completed, including the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the UQAM Campus, the Université de Montréal Campus in Laval and the Longueuil Campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.
Since 2012, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes has played a leading role in the Montreal metro's infrastructure renovation programs, first with the Bureau de projets infrastructures métro (BPIM), then with the Grands programmes de maintien des actifs métro (GPMAM). As part of the Major metro projects, we are working on the design of the Côte-Vertu Underground Garage for trains, the Northwest Attachment Centre, and the metro’s new signage. We are also acting as master architect for the blue line extension, which includes the addition of five future stations.
Combining our expertise in air and rail transportation, we have been carrying out since 2018 the planning and construction plans of the REM (Réseau express métropolitain) station at Montreal-Trudeau airport.
The state of research is in constant flux. Interacting disciplines intersect to produce innovative discoveries, while experts across fields collaborate to resolve complex problems. We acknowledge that researchers have to act at the same speed as their ideas, both as individuals and in collaboration with other people. Consequently, we recognize that research spaces have to offer uninterrupted flexibility and a broad sense of fluidity.
We believe that research is a strategic investment as well as a cultural asset, whether executed in an academic field, a university hospital, a translational research centre or a business incubator. With expertise spanning disciplines—architects, laboratory specialists, biomedical engineers and sustainable development experts—we collaborate alongside research centre directors to create spaces that encourage and stimulate discovery, while confronting current and future challenges.
Throughout the decades we have developed a great capacity to carry out technically demanding projects, and to lead and coordinate multidisciplinary teams. Our collaboration with Hydro-Québec dates back to the beginning of the 1980s, and we possess considerable mastery in the context of intervention and in the specific concerns connected to industrial projects. This expertise is based on about a hundred projects: substations, control buildings, 25-31 kV distribution centres, interpretation centres, compact automation buildings (CAB), administrative centres, air terminals, developments, renovations and upgrading.
Industrial architecture presents a set of specific and all-encompassing technological challenges, both in terms of design and realization. These include the integration of various electric systems and the implementation of equipment, commands and massive underground electric conduits, as well as the interaction of these systems with the building itself. This interaction requires all the more care when it comes to building new substations, especially with 25 kV manoeuvring stations and isolated SF6-run, 315 kV electrical rooms, enabling the greater management of the electric distribution on a dense and irregular site with reduced ground space. The technology is primarily used within new substations in urban settings, as it doesn’t take up much room and is relatively silent compared to compressed-air circuit breakers. Urban localization further requires additional effort and particular consideration when it comes to architectural treatment, clearances, setbacks, and the breakdown of masses. The DeLorimier (2017), Bélanger (2015) and Henri-Bourassa (2014) substations are excellent examples of this effort, in addition to the criteria for sustainability, function, and longevity of the materials used.
Alongside Hydro-Québec, we have developed and realized various compact automation buildings, popularly known as CAB. CAB requires a high level of prefabrication and is part of a rigorous process of rationalization with Hydro-Québec. This acquired expertise, developed with Hydro-Québec, demonstrates the involvement and reach that our services present to clients.