Tour de Lévis work

The Tour de Lévis has a municipal status as a "heritage building of interest" and is also designated as being "an outstanding heritage value sector" in the City of Montréal's urban plan. Major efforts have been made to preserve this iconic heritage to ensure the building's historical continuity and enhance its historical and social significance.

The Tour de Lévis is composed of breccia stones that come from a quarry on Île Sainte-Hélène. During exploratory work on the building, numerous problems were detected in the masonry on the building's inner and outer facings; this was due to the tower being exposed to bad weather conditions, the leaning of the wall, the positioning of the tower atop a cliff and, mainly, the changing quality of the stone. On the latter point, an analytical report underscored the fact a "breccia" stone type should not be used because of their characteristics (micro-cracking, heterogenous porosity, etc.) and their poor, long-term mechanical performances for this type of work. As a result, about 90% of the stones will eventually have to be replaced by a more durable stone recommended by specialists, namely a silica sandstone which will oxidize over time and become the same colour as the original stones.

The restoration strategies set down for the Tour de Lévis will be used for upcoming work on all the buildings that have this stone, which is emblematic of the Parc. This includes the Aquatic Complex, Hélène-de-Champlain pavilion and some of the public urinals.

Structural work

Exploratory work needs to be done on the Tour de Lévis to:

• Check the condition of the existing stone, repair the cracks and replace the damaged stones.
• Reparation work on the steel structure.

Restoration of the building envelope

Phase 2 continues the masonry work done during Phase 1, which enabled the restoration of about 20% of the tower's outer facing. Phase 2 work, consists of, but is not limited to, the following:

• Restoring the outer masonry, the remaining 80%.
• Restoring the inner masonry: rejointing, solidifying the major cracks, replacing the window lintels.
• Minor repairs to the windows, sealing and painting.

Phase 3 of the restoration work on the Tour de Lévis will ensure the longevity of the building and bring many of its electro-mechanical components up to standard. Once this phase has been completed, the building will again be fully operational. The work being done on this project includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects:

• The addition of a fresh air ventilation system.
• Upgrades to the tower's lighting system, including indoor lighting and implementing the reservoir lighting;
• Renovating the building's indoor and outdoor staircase;
• Various renovation work in the indoor sector;
• Various landscaping renovations, notably new plantings and the addition of urban furniture;
• Various fire=protection work including the installation of a new sprinkler system and replacing the fire pump.