Over the past few years, STGM has developed significant expertise in the transportation sector, whether through work on the Montréal métro, the Québec City tramway, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, or in partnership with the majority of transit authorities across the province. As architects, designing transportation buildings means creating indoor and outdoor public spaces that accommodate very high volumes of users. These long-term projects are highly complex and require a strong level of commitment from our teams to successfully carry out the mandates.
 

Nature of the mandate

Depending on the stage of the project, the nature of our involvement can vary considerably. Large-scale transportation projects unfold in multiple phases, each involving different stakeholders selected to carry out specific stages.

For example, for the Québec City tramway project, carried out in consortium with Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker, the team contributed to the development of the reference project. This meant designing the entire network—including at-grade stations, underground stations, and terminals—without advancing too far into execution-level detail. In parallel, the team also developed a highly detailed design guideline that sets out the key design principles to be respected. This guideline will be handed over to the consortium responsible for constructing the tramway and will ensure a shared architectural language across the network.

Another example is the Montréal Blue Line Extension Project (PLB), where our involvement began after the reference project phase. Unlike the typical architectural process, the project did not start from a blank slate, as several components had already been defined by the lead team and the client. Furthermore, our mandate involves the design of a single station, as the STM requires each station to result from a unique architectural concept—one of the defining features of Montréal’s métro system and a key element of its international reputation. Over the past year, STGM took on the challenge of thoroughly reworking the reference project to develop a strong new architectural concept, which was then advanced through to the technical detailing stage. We also coordinated project development with all disciplines and stakeholders involved.

The architect's role

To properly design a transportation project, it is first necessary to become familiar with the unique ecosystem of transit infrastructure in order to meet all technical and functional requirements. The architect’s central role is then to coordinate the integration of all other disciplines—structural, electromechanical, energy, geotechnical, civil engineering, and more—while also leading multiple files across various committees.

For example, on métro projects, our team works full-time within the STM project office alongside more than 350 stakeholders. An organization of the STM’s scale involves numerous subcommittees, each specializing in areas such as universal accessibility, fare collection, wayfinding, lighting, ventilation, passenger flow, and more. Our role is to meet with each of these groups to test our design proposals and collaborate closely with experts to develop the best possible station. This level of coordination involves extensive back-and-forth over months or even years and requires strong institutional memory—especially when major changes disrupt project progress and certain aspects must be revisited from the beginning.

Political dimension

Due to the complexity of their implementation, the scale of their footprint, and above all their influence on urban development, transportation projects are inherently political. And with political projects comes unpredictability. These projects are always at risk, as they can span decades and require substantial financial investment from governments. Resilience is therefore essential, as even after years of work, transportation projects remain vulnerable to modifications, scope reductions, major delays, or—in extreme cases—complete redesigns.

For instance, the Montréal Blue Line extension, promised to residents of the city’s east end for over three decades, is currently undergoing a significant rationalization exercise, as announced in the media in recent weeks. Nevertheless, our team continues to demonstrate ingenuity to meet functional requirements while creating a meaningful and efficient place—one that will become an important legacy for Montréal’s built heritage and its population, all while respecting budgetary objectives.

Transportation projects are visionary undertakings that have a profound impact on the shaping of our society. They are truly complex projects due to their technical nature and their political, financial, and temporal implications. Nevertheless, they offer architects a very tangible way to positively influence people’s daily lives—and, above all, to help write the history of tomorrow.