03 Dec 2024
The architecture of the Inspire Bio Innovations project has gained international recognition by receiving the title of Future Office: Project of the Year at the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF). Held in Singapore this year, the annual event gathers standout projects from around the world, recognizing the best of design through competitions before a live jury. The project, initiated by Jadco Group and designed by NEUF architect(e)s, was also honoured with a WAFX Award, an out-of-competition category highlighting the architects' innovative approach to tomorrow’s challenges: successfully repurposing an abandoned urban infrastructure, integrating heritage elements, enhancing community resilience, and incorporating sustainable development.
World Architecture Festival
WAF is the only festival to bring together architects from every continent to celebrate the best in design, technology, and sustainability through inspiring awards and seminars. The event features a unique live awards program where designers present their work to their peers. This year's edition received almost 1,000 entries from 68 countries, resulting in almost 400 finalists. Among the winners, only one was from Quebec: the firm NEUF architect(e)s, recognized for its rehabilitation project at the Montreal Chest Institute.
Having won at previous editions of the festival, this year NEUF competed in the Future Projects-Health and Future Projects-Offices categories. They won their first award during the shortlisting stage, winning the WAFX award for their exemplary approach to heritage, both respectful and creative. The presentation by Azad Chichmanian, lead designer, particularly impressed the panel of experts and elicited very positive reactions from all the members of the jury, who unanimously selected the rehabilitation project for the Montreal Chest Institute as a winner. This week, another award from the Rethinking the Future competition in the Health category, and a nomination for the DNA Paris Design Awards, bear further witness to the exceptional quality of the proposal.
Breathing life into an abandoned urban hospital
Constructed in the 1930s as the Royal Edward Institute, the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) has been a key medical centre in the history of Montreal and Quebec. A surgical wing was added in the 1950s. Neglected and finally abandoned, the campus will now be revived as a new life sciences hub specializing in research into respiratory illnesses, continuing the site’s original vocation at the foot of Mount Royal.
Inspire bio innovations
Located in the heart of downtown Montreal and the university quadrilateral, directly across from the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), Inspire Bio Innovations is emerging as the centrepiece of the life sciences ecosystem. This dynamic hub will bring together major pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, research institutes, students, university researchers, and innovative start-ups to collaboratively accelerate the development of scientific discoveries and make them accessible worldwide. Ultimately, this Jadco Group project will provide 450,000 square feet dedicated to advancing the life sciences.
Phase 1, currently under construction, will host the global headquarters of CellCarta, a leading provider of specialized precision medical laboratory services to the biopharmaceutical industry. The second phase will bring together researchers and health technology companies in a new nine-storey addition that matches the height of the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM), located just to the north. A glazed atrium and rooftop garden will create a simplified, light massing that will expand and frame views of the mountain, create a common meeting point, and provide teaching spaces for the growing life sciences community.
Quotes
“I am delighted that the architectural excellence and innovative design of this rehabilitation project have received international recognition," says Luc Rabouin, Mayor of the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ville de Montreal. "This award paves the way for the next phases in the redevelopment of the former Montreal Chest Institute and heralds the fact that this new centre for employment and innovation in the health sector will help to revitalize the Milton-Parc district.”
“As an architect, it's particularly important to receive recognition from such respected peers, especially in a competition as prestigious as the WAF, and despite the complexity of constraints that had to be resolved for this project," notes Azad Chichmanian, Architect and Partner, NEUF architect(e)s. "This distinction is rare in our field and reflects the rigorous work of my team to achieve such a high level of design quality. We were humbled by the jury's praise and the congratulations we received after each presentation. We are proud to bring home these awards, not only for our firm but also for Montreal and Quebec. It's further proof that our local talent is being recognized worldwide.”
“Jadco Group is very proud of this prestigious award, which underlines the exceptional architectural quality of the Inspire Bio Innovations project and reinforces its position as one of the world's top life sciences innovation hubs," adds Normand Rivard, Managing Partner, Inspire bBioinnovations by Jadco Group. "This recognition reinforces its status as an internationally renowned magnet for talent, biotech companies, and local and international investment."
Technical sheet
