ACDF architecture fronts LINK tower in montréal with matrix of dormer archetypes

LINK tower by ACDF architecture honors victorian-era facades

ACDF Architecture has unveiled LINK, a 19-story apartment tower in downtown Montreal, designed to meet the rising demand for student housing. The studio honors the heritage of Shaughnessy Village, pairing the new structure with the historic Victorian-era facades that remain in the area. Rather than opting for full demolition due to poor condition, ACDF pushed for keeping the facades intact as a bridge between past and present, enhancing a local sense of identity. This approach, while more costly and challenging, would ultimately benefit the community and celebrate the area’s architectural legacy, avoiding the stigma of ‘facadism’. The result is a quilt-like assembly of various reinterpreted dormers, acting as a pictorial tableau. 

designing a quilt-like assembly of dormer typologies

Design-wise, the team at ACDF Architecture juxtaposed gabled, low-arched, and rectangular openings to create an amalgamated composition that contributes to animating the urban space of this small section of Lincoln Street, which is mainly defined by austere, post-modernist concrete towers. A slightly projecting black granite frame enhances the composition’s pictorial quality, while the mineral quality of the precast concrete envelope pays homage to the neighboring towers. Each window of the LINK tower corresponds to a bedroom or living room, with or without a balcony. Almost as wide as the living rooms they enliven, the windows broaden perceptions of space and frame exterior views towards emblematic Mount Royal.

affordable student housing in montréal

Located near four university campuses, the area around LINK has become a hub for student residents. In response to rising construction and financing costs, and the limited budgets of students, ACDF Architecture designed the project to minimize per capita construction expenses by creating narrow, compact apartments that efficiently use space while meeting student needs. The compact approach also reduces operating costs, such as heating and maintenance, which helps lower long-term rental prices. As a result, LINK features 122 studio, one, two, and three-bedroom units across 19 floors, offering affordable living options for students.

The building also includes amenities like a roof terrace, gym, and communal lounge areas. The main entrance is integrated into one of the restored heritage facades, with metallic elements in the lobby to create a welcoming atmosphere. The remaining facades preserve the original architectural character, with residential access through restored staircases and courtyards.

With the successful completion of the LINK tower in Montréal, ACDF Architecture hopes that it will contribute, in its own way, to the promotion of heritage among developers, and thus encourage more respectful practices in private development projects. ‘On the eve of a possible unprecedented acceleration in the granting of building permits to encourage the construction of residential projects in response to the housing crisis prevailing across Canada, we feel it is essential to emphasize the importance of creating private projects that contribute from an architectural and urban point of view,’ concludes ACDF President Maxime-Alexis Frappier.

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project info:

name: LINK
architect and interior designer: ACDF Architecture | @acdfarchitecture

location: Shaughnaussy Village, Montréal, QC
client and general contractor: Brivia Group
project team: Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Joan Renaud, Alain Desforges,

Eric Milette, Martin Champagne, Laurent Bélisle, Christelle Montreuil Jean-Pois
structural engineer: Sylvain Parr & Associés inc.
mechanical and electrical engineers: Équipe SP inc.
project manager: Développement résidentiel Lincoln
contractor: Sidcan
completion: September-October 2022 
area: 104,326 sqm