A GREEN BUILDING AT THE HEART OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

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Équiterre and Hydro-Québec have officially launched the Maison du développement durable project

which will be built at the heart of the Quartier des spectacles. This effort will build one of the greenest buildings in the world, to house the offices of many NGOs involved in protecting the environment (Équiterre, Greenpeace, the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal, Unisféra and Environnement Jeunesse). To do this, Hydro-Québec will cede a 15,000-square-foot site at the corner of Clark and Sainte-Catherine streets to Équiterre. The Quartier des spectacles Partnership salutes this initiative to foster sustainable development, a theme that is at the heart of its own priorities.

However, the construction of such a building will deprive the neighbourhood of an essential space for festivals and Montreal's major cultural events. As an alternative, the Partership proposes setting the building back from the street to preserve the existing Place Hydro-Québec and make it a multifunctional space dedicated to culture and the environment. This plaza, which could be built with recycled materials, would be used for festivals during the summer and serve as a public forum for sustainable development during the rest of the year, welcoming expositions, conferences and events.