The Westin Hotel project included the complete renovation and redevelopment of the former Gazette building, the addition of four floors to the existing building, the complete renovation and redevelopment of two other buildings on St. Jacques Street, the seismic retrofitting of existing buildings and the construction of an attached tower with 23 storeys and 6 basement levels. A pool with three separate basins was also added to the existing building’s third floor, with a glass structure at the bottom, allowing a glimpse of the hotel landing below.
Built in the late 1920s, the existing building was first occupied by the Montreal Star. It was then acquired by The Gazette that made several modifications to the building while occupying it from 1980 to 2003. It was later bought by the Atlific Hotels group for the development of the Westin Hotel. The plans of the existing structure had to be studied and rigorous surveys were carried out to confirm their accuracy.
Complex dynamic analyses were performed for all buildings during the design phase. The quantities of materials and costs were also estimated by modelling.
For this project of exceptional technical complexity, NCK provided all the structural and civil engineering consulting services for the preparatory studies, design and construction supervision.