Laforest Project: first shovelful of earth for the construction of 350 housing units at the head of the bridges in Quebec

A first shovelful of earth officially inaugurated the Laforest project site in Quebec, a 13-story building with 350 housing units at the head of the bridges described as “exemplary” by Mayor Bruno Marchand.

• Also read: A 13-story building in time-lapse on Chemin Saint-Louis

The latter was on site with the Minister of Natural Resources of Quebec, Maïté Blanchette Vézina.

The building, when completed, will be the first building with zero carbon certification in Quebec. Geothermal energy and solar panels could enable energy savings of 40%, the promoters say.

Commercial spaces are also planned there.

For Mayor Marchand, the project “breaks the idea that we cannot do architecture [tout en s’attaquant à la crise du logement]».

“Some people believe that we should do it quickly, cheaply and everything is wrong,” said Mr. Marchand, while the project, led by the Statera firm, is intended to be “exemplary and inspiring”.

The City of Quebec even used special powers to accelerate the start of construction on the building located at the corner of Chemin Saint-Louis and Rue De La Forest, very close to the Quebec and Pierre-Laporte bridges.

For her part, Minister Blanchette Vézina highlighted the use of solid wood in the “frame” of the building rather than steel or concrete, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“It is a project worthy of the attention of my ministry,” she boasted, recalling that Quebec had invested between $1 and $1.4 million in this construction via an envelope for innovation in construction with the drink.

The City of Quebec, for its part, invested $1 million in the project.

The building should be completed in the summer of 2026. At the time of the announcement of the acceleration of the project by the City of Quebec, the official opposition expressed neighbors’ fears about road congestion in the area.

The second opposition for its part denounced the construction of a “high-end” project while social housing is lacking in the City’s territory.