Affleck de la Riva Architects has been selected to oversee the restoration and enlargement of Laval City Hall. The result of one of Quebec’s first architectural competitions, Laval City Hall is an exemplar of influential Canadian Modern architecture.
Designed by Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Sise Architects, the building was completed in 1964. It opened as Chomedey Civic Centre, representing the merger of the municipalities of Renaud, Saint-Martin and L’Abord-à-Plouffe. It became Laval City Hall after a further merger of 14 municipalities in 1965.
Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold & Sise’s design was selected because it proposed “the only significant solution regarding the treatment of public space,” according to the jury. Researcher Alessandra Mariani notes that the structure used pre-stressed concrete and steel exterior panels anchored in the concrete to support roof loads—a first-of-its-kind solution in Canada. “The project by Affleck Desbarats Dimakopoulos, Lebensold & Sise Architects combines new technologies, emerging construction methods and the implementation of industrial materials to express the emergence of a new city,” she writes.
Affleck de la Riva’s mandate includes the restoration of the original city hall, an addition, and the creation of a new civic plaza. The project will respect the intentions of the 1961 competition-winning project, which included a long-term vision for multiple pavilions and a civic center. The design stage is underway and construction is planned for 2022.
Affleck de la Riva’s portfolio includes work on several city hall buildings throughout Quebec, notably, Montreal City Hall, Brossard City Hall, Rigaud City Hall, and Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan City Hall.