The mesmerizing shape and grandeur of the Olympic Stadium Tower in Montreal make it easy to see why the building serves as one of Canada’s great landmarks. Made completely of concrete, the tower has a unique inclined shape, which makes it stand out among the rest in Montreal. Initially built to coincide with the 1976 Olympics, the Olympic Stadium Tower became vacant and completely unused for almost 40 years to follow. So much incredible space, but what to do with it?
It all started with one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, Mouvement Desjardins, expressing interest in occupying about 80% of the tower for additional work space in the city. The intrigue of the building as a modern historical landmark and close proximity to public transportation drew in Mouvement Desjardins. The Olympic Committee decided to bring the interior tower space to life as a result and the rest is history!
What we’re focused on in this project is the tremendous installation of our T Screen™ KOOLBLACK® in custom color White/Charcoal-Cocoa on the sloped walls of windows on each floor. To go in depth about the project, we spoke with Laurent Alepins, Architectural Sales Team Lead at Altex, the Canadian window coverings company responsible for the shading system. During our chat, we learned what’s incredibly unique about this tower is that each floor has windows at different angles. The higher you go, the closer one gets to having a completely upright wall of windows. This made the design and implementation of the curtain wall systems crucial to the seamless look of the building from floor to floor.
The architect on the project, Provencher-Roy, was responsible for turning the once unused space into a well-designed office facility for the employees of Mouvement Desjardins. For a number of years, the building has been subject to structural and aesthetic improvements to make the interior space useful for working. The look of the tower’s interior is being transformed from essentially vacant to a modern, chic workspace for one of Canada’s top financial institutions.
As one can imagine, lots of consideration was given to determining the type, color and performance of the roller shade fabric used in the installation. Everything from glare control, to maintaining cool interior temperatures was deemed important in producing this project. But more than anything, the aesthetics were deemed priority number one. In choosing T Screen™ KOOLBLACK®, Altex wanted to keep the interior light and refreshing, while having the streetside of the fabric blend seamlessly with the glass. So, Altex took a unique approach with T Screen™ KOOLBLACK® and flipped the fabric, to have the lighter side on the interior and darker side on the exterior.
The customization of the White/Charcoal-Cocoa was also strategic - the brown tint of this fabric blended perfectly with the mullions in the curtain wall system. The mullions specifically displayed the color RAL 8022. RAL is a color system which is used globally in the architecture and construction industries. It was imperative to match the roller shade fabric to the mullions as closely as possible for a harmonious design. All of these aesthetic elements worked in tandem to create a beautifully-crafted, consistent space.
In total, the Olympic Stadium Tower features 527 motorized shades and 230 motors, covering 3 of the building’s facades. This project alone took Altex 1 year to complete and the drawings for the interior of the building took even longer to complete. Altex is located right outside of Montreal, and was a natural fit for the advanced, technical process of designing and installing the shading systems in the Olympic Stadium Tower. One can admire the progress made to this once vacant building by observing the photos below!