View of Héritage Champlain
  • Country Canada
  • City Montréal / Brossard
  • Customer The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges
  • Year 2025

The Héritage Champlain project is an architectural and landscape intervention spanning three sectors along the St. Lawrence River, aimed at renaturalizing sites and providing new public spaces along the water’s edge.

The deconstruction of the Champlain Bridge freed up large areas along the edge of Nuns’ Island, near the Seaway Dyke and the city of Brossard. The Héritage Champlain project aimed to unify these three sectors while transforming previously inaccessible shorelines into welcoming spaces that prioritize greenery.

The development of the three sectors is based on four key principles: connectivity, appropriation, biodiversity, and memory. By reopening access to the shores of the St. Lawrence River for pedestrians and cyclists, the project offers citizens and visitors exceptional viewpoints over the city and the river, as well as spaces dedicated to contemplation and the discovery of a protected natural environment. Heavily vegetated, the new parks include stormwater management features that promote the creation of ecosystems where flora and fauna can thrive.

On Nuns’ Island, new pedestrian and cycling paths connect to the existing network, while a monumental lookout suspended above the river extends the urban fabric. Visitors can observe local wildlife thanks to the presence of the St. Lawrence River’s migratory corridor. The perforated arches framing the lookout promenade also echo images of the former bridge, offering a contemporary tribute to the site's history. The St. Lawrence Seaway Dike area offers a spectacular view of downtown Montréal and one of the former Champlain Bridge piers in the river. It was also designed to restore a suitable habitat for fish.

Finally, in the Brossard sector, connectivity is ensured by the multifunctional La Riveraine path, to which the new facilities are connected. Rest and contemplation areas have been created - true stopping points for passersby to pause and enjoy the surroundings.

Additional Collaborators

Parsons Tetra Tech Amec Foster Wheeler Ponts Jacques Cartier + Champlain Bridges Canada