The non-profit organisation HAS Mégantic was created in 2022 with the aim of developing a project for long-term accommodation for a specific clientele with intellectual disabilities (ID) or autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), who are independent or semi-independent. The project aims to offer a living environment and residential services that are diverse and specifically tailored to the needs of the targeted clientele.

The project, Envol-Toit, aims to design and build 13 affordable apartments in Lac-Mégantic, complete with common areas to maintain an active connection with the community. By focusing on creating a close connection with nature, Envol-Toit seeks to offer a welcoming living environment that is integrated with the community, fostering a sense of belonging, autonomy, and dignity for its residents.

Divided into three volumes, the project is defined by a green space that crosses the site. The two residential volumes are positioned on either side of this connecting space. With a height of two storeys, they maintain a human scale, simplify internal circulation and maintain connections between residents and their outdoor surroundings. The third, single-storey volume, containing the common areas, connects the two residential blocks and creates a strong connection with the neighbourhood. It marks the entrance to the building and welcomes the community. The inner courtyard completes the project and serves as an anchor for the building. It amplifies the residents’ sense of security and comfort, while strengthening their daily connection with nature.

The architecture of the residential volumes echoes the gables of the neighbourhood’s varied single-family homes, while the common areas are inspired by the more institutional, rectangular, flat-roofed shape of the surrounding public buildings.

This project is designed as part of the Société d’habitation du Québec’s Affordable Housing Programme and includes large, prefabricated elements as an innovative demonstration project.