The urban fabric lives, breathes, grows and evolves with its people and the fleeting eras—and it must, since only what evolves, persists. In this process of adaptation to newer times and redefined standards, some structures are lost and razed into oblivion while fresh specimens take their place. Some pockets, however, undergo a metamorphosis—their edges are cut and smoothened to fit into a different version of the puzzle. It is in these structures that one encounters a heterogeneous language where vestiges of the past peek through contemporary corridors—a spirited waltz of eras. The Maisonneuve Library displays a similar juxtaposition of architectural heritage and contemporary architecture in the thriving cultural scene of Montreal, Canada.

The City of Montreal is renowned for its rich architectural heritage and cultural fabric. Through the years, urban designers have strived to redefine the city’s street life while architects built—or remodelled—countless public amenities such as theatres, sports facilities, and libraries. The radical transformation that conquers the pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods of Montreal emanates strikingly from the Maisonneuve Library, housed since 1981 in what once was a small, prestigious city hall for the short-lived City of Maisonneuve. When the need to expand the facility arose, Montreal launched a multidisciplinary design competition in 2017 in which a team led by EVOQ Architecture and Dan Hanganu Architects emerged triumphant. The upgraded and restored library design opened its doors to the public in June 2023, reiterating how adaptive reuse can enrich modern urban contexts.

EVOQ Architecture is an award-winning architecture firm widely known for its expertise in heritage preservation and its projects for the Inuit and First Nations communities. Through astute interventions and site-sensitive design solutions, the architects contrive meaningful structures that respect the history, culture and location of each project. Their contemporary reinterpretation of the 1912 building achieved high praise and recognition in the community of creatives, librarians and archivists. "Officially opened in June 2023, the carefully restored 1912 building, with its glazed extensions, illustrates how the past can enrich the present, and vice versa," reads the firm’s official statement.

Libraries, which for most of the 20^th century followed a book-centred prototype, have taken on a new role of social hubs in communities. Consequently, the Maisonneuve branch caters to these requisites. The building’s capacity, which expanded from 1,240 to 3,594 square metres, meets the needs of a more inclusive and ever-evolving society. The architectural team took a deliberate decision to rehabilitate the historic building—the stone façades and the monumental doors are restored along with the original plaster mouldings, wood panelling and mosaic floors. The marble staircase and its two imposing stained-glass features were carefully repaired. “The alignment of the new curtain wall and the rhythm of its brise-soleil were dictated by the historic building’s neo-classical colonnade," reads the official release.

The introduction of a 'tower' element off the east wing is key to the design concept. Accentuating the library's contemporary identity, it contains a new vertical circulation core and serves as the library’s main entrance. The premises are also accessible for people with reduced mobility, with an elevator giving them full access to each floor and to a small roof terrace. The exterior stone steps do not serve their initial function, except during occasions such as ceremonial events—mostly providing exterior seating for passersby. The architects' commitment to heritage issues is also reflected in their decision to leave a full-height void on either side of the former city hall as a reminder to users of what once existed. While the grand columns dot the view as users navigate the building, steel portals and spatial voids mark the transition from the light-filled contemporary wings to the more subdued historical architecture.

The reception area of the library architecture, directly accessible from the street, acts as a directory for the library’s entire spectrum of audiences. Young children are ushered down towards a series of playful spaces, while teenagers move to the second level, where they find a variety of engaging amenities such as a medialab, an animation studio, and a small video games room await them. The upper two floors of the former city hall and the west wing’s top level provide a space for quiet reading and study areas. A partly cantilevered ‘silent room’, is aligned with nearby traditional balconies, overlooking Pie-IX Boulevard. “As one approaches the west wing from the outside, an intriguing set of open bookshelves attracts attention. This live-in modular environment was designed to respond to children’s desire for adventure,” states the release.

The architects prioritised a sustainable approach for the building and site. Professionals partaking in the project analysed current standards of sustainability, including those pertaining to the protection of cultural diversity and biodiversity. Highly efficient electromechanical systems and low energy devices were employed to maximise thermal comfort while curtailing energy consumption of the restoration architecture. Geothermal energy plays a key role in providing for the library’s heating and cooling needs in partnership with radiant floors. The curtain wall system, designed with integrated solar protection, effective thermal breaks, and low-emissivity thermal glazing units, greatly contributes to the system’s optimal performance.

The Ontario Street, where the library is nestled, has undergone massive transformation over the last decade. The neighbourhood still harbours some early 20^th century buildings such as the former Maisonneuve Market, inspired by the City Beautiful movement. The integration of the new library into the historically significant district was helmed by urban design firm civility. Through a series of urban and landscape interventions, the urban designers bridged the library’s private grounds to the public domain. A public art sculpture by artist Clément de Gaulejac is installed in a playful court directly accessible from the children’s activity room—standing quietly as a vestige of another era. The Maisonneuve Library enunciates and amplifies a rising need for memorable buildings to be interwoven in the present day cityscapes. The restoration speaks of the beauty that can unfold when timelines collide and what ensues is “a beautiful dance between eras, between exterior and interior, and between active and contemplative.”