Chevalier Morales

As finalists in the architectural competition of the City of Québec, Chevalier Morales' proposal to expand and transform the Gabrielle-Roy Library reimagines the institution as nine thematic hubs. The concept bridges the building's historical identity with a thoughtful response to its users' evolving needs. Located in the heart of Saint-Roch, the library is a key urban landmark where residents, workers, and daily passersby naturally converge.

At the project's core is a belief in architecture's ability to shape experience. Vertical circulation elements are conceived not merely as connectors but as sculptural, immersive interventions that guide users through the building. Among these inhabitable and adaptable elements, the brick masonry staircase in the graphic novel section becomes an architectural narrative that serves as an anachronistic memory object, recalling the library's former life and the material fabric of Saint-Roch. A helicoidal staircase links the performance hall to the travel hall, carrying visitors into a realm of imaginative escape. A brass stair also twists in the playful shape of an uncoiled paperclip, connecting the music and cinema section with the languages and literature hub, incorporating seating and integrated workspaces.

The library's rhizomatic layout mirrors the pattern of nearby Place Jacques-Cartier. Green islands anchor the four corners of the ground floor, fostering a fluid and dynamic circulation. Materiality is central in connecting past and present: the exposed concrete structure contrasts with the softness of new finishes -wood, brass, tinted glass, and plaster. Behind a translucent curtain wall, a series of painted and embossed aluminum panels subtly recall the brutalist motifs of the original building, emerging like a quiet palimpsest across the new façade.