Promenade Samuel de Champlain wins Brownie Award

The Canadian Urban Institute announced the winners of its annual Brownie Awards at the end of October, which it gives for developments on former industrial and other contaminated sites.

Jury’s Choice Award went to La Promenade Samuel-de-Champlain, a large waterfront transformation along the riverfront that was completed in 2008 in Quebec City.

A consortium of GENIVAR and SNC-Lavalin were in charge of the engineering for the  200,000-square metre Quebec project that stretches 4.5 kilometres along the St. Lawrence River from Cote de Sillery in the east to Cote Ross in the west.

The engineers had to manage the contamination left behind by former oil reservoirs. They also had to integrate the new construction with a vast network of existing infrastructure and underground service lines. At the eastern end an industrial pier was rehabilitated at the Quai des Cageux. After removing the existing deck slab at the pier the engineers discovered numerous hollow areas and had to add supports and raise it by 600 mm to prevent differential movement. An observation tower at this pier was also constructed on piles.

Art works and other features are distributed along the promenade, and include an illuminated fountain with 83 water jets at the Quai des Flots. Jacques Desjardins , ing. was the principal consultant on the project for Genivar. The designers were Daoust Lestage/Williams Asselin Ackaoui/Option for the Quebec City National Capital Commission.