Le Relais Boréale

Le Relais Boréale, 2022, Montreal, QC

TypeHospitality

LocationMontreal, QC

Year2022

Team Nicolas Lapierre, Jade Lachapelle, Pia Hocheneder, Francis M-Labrecque

ConstructionModulor

Photos Raphaël Thibodeau

Located in the Mile-Ex neighborhood of Montreal, Le Relais Boréale is a meeting and tasting place for beer lovers. This is a homecoming for Les Brasseurs du Nord, a pioneer of microbreweries in Quebec, which brewed its first Boréale beers in the city 35 years ago. Longing to transpose their circular approach into the project, they brought in the Atelier L’Abri team, based a few blocks away, to design a unique venue highlighting eco-responsibility and local know-how.

The microbrewery occupies a corner space within the Fabrik8 complex, a WELL-certified building. The project designed by Atelier L'Abri enabled the transformation of a commercial suite, made of concrete and glass, into an efficient brewhouse and a warm dining room that can accommodate 60 people. The layout takes advantage of the double-height location by creating a mezzanine above the cold chambers containing the beer barrels. The stainless-steel fermenters reside on top, in full view behind a large oak-framed glass wall. This strategy optimizes the production space and highlights the metal tanks and brewing activities day and night.