Determining the official founding date of an organization is not always straightforward. In our case, we have established that April 10, 2001—the day the contract for the École nationale de police du Québec (ENPQ) project in Nicolet was signed—was the founding act that officially gave birth to STGM and marked the beginning of our great journey.
The ENPQ project, awarded through a consortium with Bernard et Cloutier (A21), was an absolutely colossal challenge for the young firm we were at the time. With a budget of $54 million—equivalent to nearly $100 million in 2020—the project involved the construction, restoration, and renovation of nearly 1,000,000 square feet of built space. It included, among other components, the complete restoration of the heritage buildings of the former Nicolet Seminary designed by Thomas Baillairgé, the reconstruction of the wing destroyed by fire in 1973, the construction of a new sports centre featuring a double gymnasium, training room, semi-Olympic swimming pool, and two dojos, as well as four crime-scene simulation pavilions, a 29-lane shooting range, a residential pavilion, and two multimedia auditoriums seating 100 and 280 people respectively.
By delivering a project of such complexity—on every level—and doing so on an accelerated schedule with more than 180 construction packages, we were able to lay strong foundations for our emerging practice. The ENPQ project allowed us to rapidly develop expertise in heritage, sports and institutional infrastructure, residential facilities, education, public safety, performance venues, site planning, and more. For all these reasons, the ENPQ project, though now part of our early history, will always hold a very special place in our hearts and in our story.
It was on the stones of the former Nicolet Seminary that our firm took shape and flourished, making it only fitting to highlight this milestone. From the ENPQ to the new Lacordaire station of the Montréal métro, via the Voltigeurs Armoury, STGM has grown from a dozen people to more than 150 team members, earning its place among Québec’s leading architecture firms. After 20 years of work—and pleasure—dedicated to improving people’s lives, we have countless memories. But we are far from nostalgic. We are more passionate and motivated than ever, with our eyes firmly set on the future.