Institut Thoracique de Montréal - Breathing life into an abandoned urban hospital

Constructed in the 1930s as the Royal Edward Institute, the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) was a key medical centre in the history of Montreal and Quebec. A surgical wing was added in the 1950’s. Neglected and finally abandoned, the campus will now be revived as a new life sciences hub specializing in research into respiratory illnesses, continuing the site’s original vocation at the foot of Mount-Royal. Phase 1, currently under construction, will host the global headquarters of CellCarta, a leading provider of specialized precision medical laboratory services to the biopharmaceutical industry. The second phase will bring together researchers and health technology companies in a new nine-storey addition that matches the height of the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM), located just to the north. A glazed atrium and rooftop garden will create a simplified, light massing that will expand and frame views to the mountain, create a common meeting point and provide teaching spaces for the growing life sciences community.