An A-list team of developers, architects and builders that includes Montreal’s beloved Canadiens hockey club is behind a major mixed-use project that has begun to pump new energy into a landmark downtown Montreal neighbourhood.
When completed, Cadillac Fairview’s $2-billion, 5-million-square-foot Quad Windsor will include the recently opened Deloitte Tower — the first privately financed office tower built in Montreal in 20 years — renovations to historic Windsor Station, two phases of condo towers carrying Canadiens branding, retail, restaurant and green space sectors and, further in the future, two office towers at 750 Peel and three more condo highrises at 600 Peel.
Cadillac Fairview is the 100 per cent owner of the Deloitte Tower and it’s the majority owner of the two Tour des Canadiens projects with partners the Canadiens, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Canderel. A neighbour and significant drawing card within the Quad Windsor footprint is the 20-year-old Bell Centre, home to the Canadiens and one of the busiest entertainment facilities in North America.
The involvement of the Canadiens might get all the publicity but it’s the boldness of the office tower investments that represents an equal achievement, state project stakeholders. The city’s office vacancy rate hit a 10-year high earlier this year, at 8.6 per cent. But the way Cadillac Fairview executive Terry Fraser-Reid puts it in describing why Deloitte committed to Quad Windsor, that vacancy rate and the paucity of new office stock are an asset to his firm.
"A lot of companies are smartening up and recognizing that they need to invest more in their office space to get the most out of their most valuable resource, which is their people," said Fraser-Reid, Cadillac Fairview’s vice-president, development, Eastern Canada portfolio.
"Buildings that were 20 years old, 50 years old, did not answer the performance needs they have, and that was the case with Deloitte. They have had a real focus on the workplace of the future.
"It was going to necessitate a new building."
Cadillac Fairview had begun to buy vacant property, formerly railway lands, adjacent to the Bell Centre. Building-performance standards have changed dramatically since Montreal’s old-stock towers were built and so the 26-storey Deloitte Tower, which opened Sept. 18, is light years beyond what came before. Cadillac Fairview partnered with architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, which joined forces with B+H Architects and Montreal-based Lemay Associés, in designing the building. PCL was the contractor in a joint venture with CAL Construction.
The Deloitte Tower is Montreal’s first LEED Platinum office; internally, it features a 32-foot-high lobby and a flooring system that enables leading-edge ventilation; outside, there’s a courtyard that will feature a skating rink in the winter. Rio Tinto is the second major tenant and the building is 70 per cent rented out.
A major selling point to the project is access, with a subway stop on site, a link to Montreal’s extensive RESO underground walkway and a few minutes’ proximity to highway 720. The shops of Ste-Catherine Street are three blocks away.
"All hot markets in North America feature major transportation hubs with major open space components and walking distance to a variety of other uses," said Fraser-Reid. "This is a movement, and this is Montreal’s adaptation of that."
Next up, the 50-storey Tour des Canadiens with its 550 condo units, icicle-themed exterior styling and special access to Habs programming will be ready for occupancy next spring. It sold out in three months when launched in 2012, success that prompted the announcement of Tour des Canadiens 2, planned for 37 storeys and over 400 units, on Sept. 17. This phase might eventually have two or three towers, said Fraser-Reid.
Marketing efforts for Tour des Canadiens 2 so far this fall have included appearances by Habs greats Guy Lafleur and Rejean Houle. Exploiting the Canadiens brand must be done tastefully and respectfully, Fraser-Reid said.
"They are a partner side by side with us but at the end of the day they are also a guardian of their brand," he said. "It is a vital focus for them, more so than you might see in other real estate projects."
In terms of driving sales, with phase 1, "there was a lot of motivation" among Canadiens fans, said Fraser-Reid. "With Tour des Canadiens 2, I think we are also seeing buyers who are there for the quality of the place. The novelty affect is not quite as much as there was the first time."
Cardinal Hardy / Martin Marcotte / Beinhaker was the local architect and Reliance Construction served as the contractor for Tour 1. Tour 2 will be designed by Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects in conjunction with BLT Architectes.
Just as the Canadiens belong to all Quebecers, Windsor Station with its neo-Roman architecture, 1880s heritage and spectacular public gathering space called the Salle des pas perdus also requires delicate handling. The central hall hosts many significant public events and that will never change, Fraser-Reid promised, as Cadillac Fairview aims to increase the "amenity offering" to the tenants who rent out the 300,000 sq. ft. of office space and to other stakeholders within Quad Windsor. As well, he said, the offices will need upgrading.
Overall, said Fraser-Reid, development of Quad Windsor will follow an "ambitious but realistic timeline." 750 Peel is intended to be built as two towers with 1.2-million sq. ft. of office space but it will be phased based on market dictates. The same goes for the residences at 600 Peel. Both Peel Street projects were master-planned by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, design architects for the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building.
"We can go as fast or as slow as the market requires," said Fraser-Reid. "That was a very important element of the master plan. This is Montreal, this is not Shanghai or San Francisco."
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