Samuel De Champlain Bridge
Definition design and urban integration Provencher_Roy designed a signature bridge attuned to the needs of the Montréal metropolitan area and emblematic of the Saint Lawrence River, the city of Montréal and Canada. The project is carried out through the collaborative efforts of Arup, the Government of Canada, Danish architects Dissing+Weitling, and support from the SM Group for road components. In 2018, it obtained the Platinum level of the ENVISION certification for sustainable infrastructure.
Photography
Stéphane Groleau, Chris Ross
Partners
Arup / Dissing+Weitling of Denmark / Groupe SM
Certification
ENVISION - Sustainable infrastructure
Country
Canada
City
Montreal
Client
Government of Canada
Surface Area
3,3 Km
Year
2019
“The opening of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge is an important event for the architectural and engineering communities, as it reflects an evolving standard of excellence in the design and construction of engineering structures in Canada. Provencher_Roy is proud to have worked closely with the project’s lead designer, Poul Ove Jensen of Dissing Weitling, to create a bridge with its unique signature, emblematic of the St. Lawrence River. Our urban design team has also participated in the integration and development of the surrounding lands, responding sensitively and in an effective manner to meet the needs of the Montreal region. It has been a privilege for Provencher_Roy to contribute to this project and to work with an exceptional design team, under the leadership of Arup. We hope today that our citizens will be delighted with this new bridge, inspired by the DNA of our metropolis.”
Claude Provencher, Senior Partner and Co-founder at Provencher_Roy.
The concept
The architectural features of this new, three-kilometre bridge embody a harmonious, poetic esthetic while satisfying stringent technical criteria established to impart to the structure a useful life of 125 years. The curved alignment, the sculptural piers, and the elegant main tower with its harp of cables result in a work that is not just instantly recognizable, but iconic. The design accommodates the Québec government’s future public transit initiatives by retaining the flexibility to establish a central corridor dedicated to buses or light-rail trains.
Connectivity
Connectivity between the South Shore and the island of Montreal is enhanced thanks to a multifunctional path over the bridge that features lookout points offering magnificient views of Montreal and the Saint Lawrence. Provencher_Roy, in collaboration with landscape architects NIPpaysage supported the Arup team in developing planning and design criteria to optimize the new bridge’s urban and environmental integration, including a seamless fit with the existing roadway network.
The characterization of the environment, the assessment of the impact of the proposed infrastructures on their surroundings, the proposal of mitigation measures and sustainable intervention strategies for a built environment undergoing a process of transformation, and ultimately the establishment of design criteria for the new bridge and its highway approaches were all part of the mandate.
