Medical Education Pavilion Université Laval, Québec building development, Canadian architecture photos

post updated January 5, 2026

Architects: Anne Carrier architecture

Location: Lévis, Québec, Canada

Photos by Adrien Williams

December 17, 2025

Medical Education Pavilion, Université Laval, Canada

Located in the heart of the historic Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis precinct, the new teaching pavilion for Université Laval’s medical program sensitively addresses the challenge of integrating into a site steeped in history. Designed to accommodate nearly 90 students, the pavilion offers an interactive, stimulating, and inclusive learning environment, tailored to the demands of contemporary medical education while supporting hands-on training in regional settings.

Designed by Anne Carrier Architectes (ACA), in consortium with Coarchitecture, the project establishes a respectful dialogue between the Augustines’ places of memory and the successive expansions of the Hôtel-Dieu, while meeting the needs of a forward-looking academic environment focused on collaboration and innovation. The building acts as a connective element between ACA’s recent interventions on the site, including Maison Dessercom and the Lévis CLSC–CHSLD, while maintaining the site’s overall visual cohesion. A 13-metre-long glazed bridge, suspended across three levels, provides a fluid transition to the historic Augustines pavilion, as well as to the north–south outdoor pedestrian route.

Shaped by the site’s topography, the project requalifies the surrounding outdoor spaces and extends the institutional history initiated in the 19th century by the religious community. Through its massing, its balanced spatial organization, and a restrained yet contemporary material palette, the pavilion aligns itself with the continuity of the place while asserting a confident contemporary identity without overpowering its context.

A learning environment rooted in its context Overlooking the historic Vieux-Lévis district, the pavilion establishes a strong relationship with its surroundings. The alignment of the façade along Wolfe Street ensures a coherent reading of the historic ensemble, while the subtly angled inner façades frame compelling views of key landscape features.

To the northwest, generous openings capture exceptional views of the St. Lawrence River and Quebec City, making the landscape an active and sensory component of daily experience. To the southeast, the building opens onto the Augustines’ Garden, forming an intimate inner courtyard—a place for reflection and informal encounters that enriches everyday life for users.

Designed to support both learning and well-being, the pavilion offers flexible, secure spaces filled with natural light. It encourages spontaneous interaction among students, clinicians, and faculty through a diversity of collaborative spaces and optimized circulation. The inclusion of a patient-partner clinic, specialized laboratories, and teaching spaces adapted to active learning pedagogy creates an environment where theory and practice naturally intersect.

At the heart of the building, a four-storey central atrium becomes a true social hub: a bright, welcoming, and legible space that offers users an intuitive experience and a constant visual connection to the outdoors. Here, architecture supports not only education, but also communication, focus, and well-being.

A lasting contribution to the community Far more than an academic facility, the teaching pavilion is conceived as a sustainable lever for attracting and retaining future physicians in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. By offering a high-quality learning environment that is human-centred, luminous, and deeply rooted in its territory, the building strengthens students’ sense of identity and belonging within the academic and medical community.

By bringing together heritage, modernity, and humanity, the new teaching pavilion actively contributes to improving access to healthcare in the region and to enriching community life in Lévis.

Architects: Anne Carrier architecture – https://annecarrier.com/ & Coarchitecture – https://annecarrier.com/

Project: Medical Education Pavilion – Université Laval / CISSS-CA Location: Lévis, QC, Canada

Design team: ACA: Anne Carrier, architect ; Robert Boily, B. arch. / B. Sc.a. ; Mathieu St-Amant, architect; Patricia Pronovost, architect ; Martin L’Hébreux, architect ; Charles Ferland, architect ; Guy-David Paradis, architect ; Anne-Laure Lacombe, architect ; Brenda Côté, technologist Coarchitecture : Alain Tousignant, architect ; Mylène Bureau, architect ; Cesar Herrera, architect ; Louis Caron, technologist ; Tristan Vachon, technologist ; Vanessa Proulx, technologist General contractor : Dalcon Engineers: Tetratech Building area: 1 070 sqm Photographer: Adrien Williams

About Anne Carrier Architectes (ACA) Anne Carrier Architectes enriches Quebec’s architectural landscape with bold and refined projects designed to resonate across generations. With more than 30 years of experience, the firm combines sensitivity, creativity, and leadership to meet its clients’ highest ambitions for architectural excellence.

Photographer: Adrien Williams

Medical Education Pavilion, Université Laval, Levis, Québec information / images received 050724 v2com newswire

Location: Lévis, Quebec, Canada

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Alto, the company mandated by Ottawa to create an electrified high-speed rail network between Toronto and Quebec City with stops in between, is contemplating digging a tunnel under the Rivière des Prairies to connect the line to an Alto station to be set up in Laval.

New tunnel possible

“We’re talking about maybe tunneling from Laval under the Rivière des Prairies,” Ben Bourdeau, an Alto spokesperson, told The Laval News during a public consultation session on the project held last week at the Laval Sheraton.

As things are now, a tunnel carrying the Société de transport de Montreal’s underground Metro off the island of Montreal to the Cartier and Montmorency stations in Laval passes through a tunnel under the river, passing near des Laurentides Blvd.

Link to downtown Montreal

“One of the options is a tunnel because it’s less disruptive,” Bourdeau said. “It’s something that offers protection in case there’s a snow storm. It would be basically under the Rivière des Prairies going straight downtown.”

While a tunnel would present a few challenges, such as some additional cost, “we’re building this for a hundred years,” he continued. “So, in the long run, it would be much more beneficial.”

Although the location for an Alto station that would serve passengers from Laval hasn’t been chosen, a map displayed during last week’s consultation indicated Alto wants to place it within a central area east of old Laval city hall (currently being renovated) and the downtown core.

It would be somewhere in the vicinity of de la Concorde Blvd., Collège Montmorency and Place Bell.

Three-hour trip to Toronto

Alto, also known as Toronto–Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network, was announced around a year ago by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While a design phase has been projected to cost $3.9 billion and last for up to five years, the total completion cost is $80 to $120 billion, with gradual opening of the system taking place between 2035 and 2044.

Trains on the dedicated 1,000-kilometre rail route would reach top speeds of up to 300 km/h, which is nearly double what Via Rail can currently offer now. Besides Toronto, Quebec City and Laval, there will also be stations in Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal and Trois-Rivières.

When the line is completed, a transit between Montreal and Toronto would take around 3 hours (compared to 5 hours 30 minutes now on Via Rail), while the time on Alto from Montreal to Quebec City would be just under 1 hour and 30 minutes (compared to about 3 hours 17 minutes now on Via Rail). A transit to Ottawa would take around an hour.

A hub for Laval and North Shore

With a population that will soon be reaching 440,000 – a total of 1.2 million when you factor in the population of Montreal’s North Shore – Laval is seen as the most logical location for an Alto station because of its strategic proximity to the northern suburbs, where the population also continues to expand.

“Everyone from the suburbs north of Laval will come to Laval to take a train to go to Toronto, to go to Quebec City,” said Bourdeau. “Laval will be a hub. They won’t have to go down to Montreal’s Central Station to take a train to go anywhere. It’s going to be in Laval. This will be much more convenient for everyone. These people won’t have to transit through Montreal.”

While passenger trains continue to flourish in Europe and to some extent also in the U.S., critics of public transit in this country generally agree that Canada has lagged badly behind. “We don’t have a train culture in Canada,” said Bourdeau, noting that Via Rail has never been able to reach its potential because it operates on tracks owned by CN and CPKC, whose freight trains get scheduling priority.

After Montreal and Quebec City, the City of Laval is also calling for a grandfather clause for immigrants already established in Quebec under the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).

At its meeting on Tuesday evening, the city council unanimously adopted a resolution put forward by Mayor Stéphane Boyer.

In it, Laval’s municipal representatives demand that the Quebec government explicitly recognize “Laval’s distinct economic reality and capacity to welcome immigrants in the application of immigration policies.”

They are asking the Legault government to offer a grandfather clause to immigrants already established in Quebec under the PEQ, adding their voices to those of several other cities and organizations.

“Immigration decisions have direct effects on our local economy,” Mayor Boyer reminded in a statement released after the city council meeting.

“In Laval, poorly adapted uniform measures risk hindering the attraction of talent and investment, while also undermining the predictability our employers need,” he argued.

The PEQ, which offered a fast track to permanent residence for people who had lived in Quebec for a minimum of two years and who met the language requirements, was abolished on Nov. 19. It is replaced by the new Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ).

The Legault government assures that all applications submitted before the abolition of the PEQ will be processed according to the old rules.

However, many people who arrived in Quebec thinking they would use this route to immigrate, but who had not yet met the conditions to submit an application, now find themselves stuck between two stools.

Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has so far refused to grant grandfathering rights to these “PEQ orphans”.

He argues that the PSTQ is a better program, since it allows for the selection of permanent residents based on Quebec’s needs rather than processing applications on a “first come, first served” basis.

Last week, Montreal municipal officials, both from Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s party and the opposition, also called for a “grandfather” clause for people already established in Quebec.

For his part, Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand has made several public statements to denounce the uncertainty faced by many people who thought they could obtain their permanent residence in Quebec through the PEQ.

Quebec plans to admit approximately 29,000 economic immigrants under the PSTQ this year.

— With information from Samira Ait Kaci Ali

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews

After more than a year of anticipation, Laval is finally getting its first Canac — and it's going to be huge.

After announcing the project last year, the popular Quebec hardware chain will finally open its doors at the corner of Boulevard du Curé-Labelle and Boulevard Saint-Elzéar Ouest on Friday, February 6, as reported by Narcity Quebec.

It's a big deal for the company, with the new Laval location marking Canac's largest single investment ever. Construction costs alone surpassed $35 million.

Despite having 35 stores across Quebec, Canac has never had a location in Laval or on the island of Montreal. Until now, Laval residents looking for deals on home renovation supplies had to drive up to Prévost in the Laurentians, while Montrealers made the trek to Saint-Hubert or La Prairie on the South Shore.

The new Laval store is strategically positioned near Highways 15 and 440, making it accessible for shoppers from both Laval and Montreal.

And the location is massive. The 450,000-square-foot site includes a 50,000-square-foot main building, with 30,000 square feet dedicated to retail space.

Inside, shoppers will find everything from hardware and plumbing to electrical supplies, tools, paint, flooring, finishing products, building materials, and seasonal items.

The complex also features a 12,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor garden centre, a covered warehouse spanning 41,500 square feet, an outdoor lumber yard, and 250 parking spaces — including several electric vehicle charging stations.

But this isn't the end of Canac's Greater Montreal expansion. According to multiple reports, after opening locations in Laval and Magog in 2026, the company plans to open its 38th store in Anjou in 2027, with construction set to begin this spring.

This article is adapted from "La date d'ouverture du Canac de 35M$ à Laval est dévoilée et c'est dans quelques jours,"which was published on Narcity.