​​​The Bellechasse Transport Center is an exceptional project for both its outstanding design and its innovative approach to urban integration. The building has a 120 m (394 ft) by 180 m (591 ft) footprint and elegantly conceals the maintenance and operations of the Société de Transport de Montréal’s buses. Functional and distinctive, the Bellechasse Transport Center will be the first multi-level center in Canada and the first in North America to be completely underground. Fitted out with the necessary equipment to operate a complete fleet of 100% electric buses, it will receive a significant portion of the STM’s 300 hybrid buses starting in January 2022.

** Project in collaboration with SNC-Lavalin

CONSTRUCTION SITE PHOTOS :

Please visit this link on our Facebook page for site photos…

Technical challenges :

• Excavation of the building footprint to a depth of 20 m (66 ft), including 18 m (59 ft) in a non-fractured rock of excellent quality.
• Complex geometry accommodating circular bus ramps.
• Imposing steel structure designed for heavy electric buses loads.
• Steel structure transferring a circular column pattern to an orthogonal grid.  

Notable solutions and innovations :

• Rock excavation strategy to take advantage of building boundaries in relation to the lot limit
• BIM integration for all disciplines including the site excavation 
• Steel transfer structure for circular ramps to support floor loads and provide adequate clearance for vehicles  

Press reviews :

• RADIO-CANADA - Le centre de transport Bellechasse sera construit sous terre
• JOURNAL MÉTRO - Le centre de transport Bellechasse sera reconstruit en souterrain
• LE DEVOIR - Le garage Bellechasse de la STM sera construit sous terre
• MONTREAL GAZETTE - Montreal to bury its new $254-million Bellechasse bus garage underground
• TVA NOUVELLES - Un futur garage d’autobus primé
• MAGAZINE CANADIAN ARCHITECT - Bellechasse Transport Centre

Distinctions :