OverlookingPlacedesFestivals, Maestria bringsone-of-a-kind aerialskybridgetoMontreal
Inspired by Montreal and the artistic pulse of the Quartier des spectacles and the v a r i e ty of architecturally distinct buildings and facilities that surround it, Maestria really is one of a kind. From afar, it looks impressive: like two sleek, soaring towers that are somehow connected midway. When you get a little closer though, you realize the connecting structure is an aerial skybridge which contains a skybox and outdoor terrace 27 storeys up: the highest ever for a residential project in Quebec. “The skybridge is what gives the project its identity, which is important because if you look around at the surrounding buildings, each and every one of them has its very own distinctive architecture, and signature that’s very strong,” said William Atkinson, the architect for Devimco which, in addition to being the project’s developer, was also behind the construction and sale of one-third of all new condos purchased downtown in 2017. “It will give residents front-row seats, yearround, to whatever is happening down below and the people at Place des Festivals will have a visual connection with whatever is happening up above. It was important to create a dynamic relationship with users as well as the public because the skybridge is what connects the project with the entire neighbourhood,” Atkinson said. A neighbourhood that includes Complexe Desjardins, theMusée d’art contemporain, UQAM and Place des Arts — as well as the largest array of animated interactive fountains in the country. In addition to the bird’s-eye view on Place des Festival, the skyway — and the two sky lounges it connects — will also give residents a stunning 360-degree view of Montreal. “Because Maestria is at the eastern limit of downtown, it has a view that’s very unique and that few projects in the city have,” he said. “We’re creating a new skyline.”
Because Maestria is at the eastern limit of downtown, it has a view that’s very unique and that few projects in the city have WILLIAM ATKINSON, ARCHITECT
Designed in collaboration with Lemay, Maestria’s location on the site of the former Spectrum de Montréal at the crossroads of SteCatherine, Jeanne-Mance and Bleury streets is a blessing as much as it is a challenge, for the architects at least. “One of the main objectives of the project, because of its size, is to really connect it with its immediate urban environment,” Atkinson said. “We worked very hard to calibrate the different scales of each part of the project, to fit with their surroundings.” In order to accomplish that, architects designed two smaller-scale buildings — one for rental purposes and the other for commercial use —less than 10 storeys high on Ste-Catherine Street that help link the towers with the rest of the street and its pedestrians. “The two smaller buildings will have a completely different architectural signature and their envelopes will be different as well — more in line with the rest of SteCatherine Street,” Atkinson said. As for the glass towers that are set to soar 51 and 53 storeys, respectively, they’ll be set back farther on the s i t e , toward Bleury Street, where the relationship between the street and its buildings is different, because of the speed of cars travelling there. The reason the towers weren’t built at the same height was to create a dialogue between them, which is the same reason they were positioned nearly corner-to-corner — not too close yet not too far apart, like dancers. In fact, every aspect of the project was methodically designed to create a dynamism that’s in line with the neighbourhood’s raison d’être: celebrating art and entertainment. A 51,000-square-foot commercial basilaire sits at the bottom of the towers, which are set to offer 1,500 luxurious residential units — including 500 rental units on Floors 1 through 26, and 1,000 condos that range in size from 300 to 2,500 square feet. The 27 th floor of each tower will house Maestria’s amenities, like its 4,800-square-foot gym and semi-Olympic pool as well as a film room, music rehearsal space and creative studios. Devimco is also incorporating commemorative items from the Spectrum’s archives throughout the project, in addition to a large painting created by 1,500 youth at the Centre jeunesse de Montréal, along with artist Bernard Séguin Poirier. Other partners of the $ 700- million project, which is set to be the largest mixed-use residential development in the area, include the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ and Fiera Properties. For more information, visit