Steel Project Case Study Gallery: Caisse de Dépôt et Placement, Montreal

Terri Meyer Boake BES BArch MArch LEED AP
Associate Professor :: Associate Director :: School of Architecture :: University of Waterloo

Caisse de Dépôt et Placement

Montréal, Quebec

Project Information:

The Caisse de Dépôt et Placement is a highly complex project that employed steel for a variety of reasons. The building itself was constructed on top of the Autoroute Ville-Marie, and needed to maintain a lightness of structure in addition to requiring a system that could span across the expressway. Large steel trusses were used throughout the cross section of the building to this effect.

The building also employed an new "intelligent facade". More information on the environmental characteristics of the building may be found by in the linked document. The research paper was written in 2003 by Ken Lum, a Master of Architecture student at the University of Waterloo, School of Architecture. pdf 2.6 MB

More technical information may also be found by following the links to the Project Gallery in the Quebec CISC Regional Site. link

Architectural Consortium: Gauthier Daoust Lestage / Faucher Aubertin / Brodeur Gauthier / Lemay et associés architecture et design urbain
Structural Engineering Consortium: Pasquin St-Jean & Associés / Saia Deslauriers Kadanoff /
Groupe SM.
General Contractor: J.E. Verreault et Fils Ltée / Construction C.A.L.
Client: Décartel Verreault Coentreprise
Owner: Société immobilière Camont Ltée
Steel Fabrication: ADF (Au Dragon Forgé) / Beauce-Atlas

Project Images:


Facade of the CDP facing the Palais des Congrès de Montréal	View up into one of the main central atriums, scaffolded during construction.


View looking out through building "cut" showing the large steel trusses that were used to both span across the Autoroute Ville-Marie as well as lighten the overall dead load of the building.


The steel trusses are left exposed along the interior faces of some of the exterior walls of the building. Here we can see the diagonal members prepped with fire retardant treatment. These will be clad with prefinished metal.


Architecturally exposed steel supports the main 9 storey wall along the atrium.	The detail of the base connection of the large tree shaped columns that support the atrium wall.


Interior views of the completed atrium space.


The interior walkways alongside the offices adjacent to the main atrium are enhanced by an animated overlook into the 9 storey atrium -- highlighted by the architecturally exposed steel!


A view up from the lobby into the atrium.	Looking down from the 9th floor balcony to the atrium floor below.


A view through the round HSS members that form the top branches of the trusses.


View at front entrance, almost complete.	Behind the glazing we can see the special truss structure that was used in order to span across the Autoroute Ville Marie below.