ACDF Architecture set out to design a 269-room property located in downtown Montreal. Distinguished from the surrounding buildings by its height and its modernist trompe-l’oeil design, the slender building’s façade is comprised of prefabricated concrete panels – each window demarcating a single suite. At grade, a three-storey curtain wall podium gives passersby views into the lobby. The hotel’s elegant and monochromatic exterior matches the clean aesthetic of its interior public spaces, which include a lobby bar, a cafe, and various meeting areas, as well as a library and two rooftop rooms with a spacious outdoor terrace.
Guests enter through a low-ceiling glass vestibule before arriving in the soaring triple-height lobby. There, oversized columns impart monumentality and mystery, while also establishing distinct zones and areas of privacy. Their white bases help to provide the lobby with more human-scaled proportions. Along the windows, oak-clad fins both channel and shield views inside from the street, further contributing the lobby’s play between openness and intimacy. Local artist Valerie Jodoin Keaton created a custom mural for the space featuring vintage black and white photographs of urban life to amuse guests with glimpses of Montreal’s history. At the apex of the space, there’s a lozenge-shaped white terrazzo bar with brass detailing.