The effervescence of the city of Trois-Rivières caught the attention of Immostar, a company firmly established in Quebec. At the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint-Laurent rivers, it has just begun construction of a six-storey rental building, which will include 218 apartments and numerous common areas with a view of the water.
Le Florent (contraction of river and Saint-Laurent), a 72 million project for Immostar, will rise in the heart of the Trois-Rivières district on Saint-Laurent, which breathes new life into a vast land occupied for more than 100 years by the paper industry. Neighbors, the Cogeco Amphitheater and the Boréalis Museum, located in the former Canadian International Paper filtration plant, both exert an influence on the architecture of the residential building, looking both to the past and the future, explains François Pelchat, partner, vice-president rental and marketing of Immostar.
“Trois-Rivières is located between Montreal and Quebec, and there has been an incredible boom in recent years with the construction of the Cogeco Amphitheater and the Colisée Videotron,” he says. Many people want to live there, but rental housing is outdated. »
The firm Immostar made headlines by building the rental buildings Mu, in Sainte-Foy, and Le Huppé, in Lebourgneuf, two of the first three complexes in Quebec to obtain WELL certification, focused on well-being, comfort and occupant health (the other being Humaniti, in Montreal). The company has once again pushed the reflection with the PMA Architectes agency to design Le Florent and continue to innovate.
Oriented to take advantage of the view of the water, Le Florent will include, among other things, a rooftop terrace, a lounge with a pool table and television, a shared workspace, an indoor swimming pool, an exercise room, a urban vegetable garden, charging stations for electric vehicles, a space for washing cars, storage for bicycles and waste and recycling chutes.
“Since this is a site where a lot of people walk around in the summer, and there are a lot of shows, there will be parking lots on the ground floor, rather than units, specifies François Pelchat. From the second floor, the sound will be a bit muted and there will be a nice view of the surroundings. The parking lot will not appear once the site is backfilled. »
An acoustician was hired and measurements were taken during shows. “We will move towards an optimal composition of the envelope and a suitable choice of window, indicates the promoter. That said, there will still always be noise during the events. »
Featuring highly efficient mechanical systems, the rental complex will aim for LEED v4 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. “A horizontal geothermal system will heat water, heat parking lots and have a glycol system to melt snow on sidewalks and prevent it from accumulating. It will not be an additional energy expenditure because the glycol will already be circulating. The geothermal system will reduce energy costs and have a truly efficient building. »
Geothermal systems are still rare in residential projects, he notes. “It’s a really big investment, for what it pays,” he agrees. But we are betting on the long term. The environment is a priority for young people. If you don’t pay attention now to how you use energy, if you don’t pay attention to the environment and if you don’t build sustainable buildings, the next generation will not come to live there. »
In Europe and New York, he notes, building owners are increasingly required to display their building’s energy performance in the lobby or on a door. The best-performing buildings receive an A rating. “If you’re rated F, that doesn’t send a good signal,” he says. It is inevitable that it will happen here. We have to be ready. We innovate, we prepare and indirectly, we will push the industry to do so. Because if we make smart and sustainable buildings, and other developers, who are like us, do it too, others will have no choice but to follow. And all together, we will be able to transform this industry, which is already changing. But for that, we have to continue to make investments. »
Tenants are expected to begin moving in May or June 2025. When Le Florent subsequently achieves LEED certification, the plaque will be proudly displayed in the lobby.
