Feasibility study on the construction of a city hall

The municipality of La Pêche will carry out an architectural study to develop plans, specifications and conceptual assessments for a future project involving the construction of a net-zero efficient city hall. The study will use the framework of the “Passive House” and LEED standards to develop the building design, which will include a detailed energy model. The building will integrate a combination of several energy efficiency measures, including green roofs, efficient lighting, geothermal energy, solar panels and much more. The municipality also intends to integrate green materials such as wood structures and materials with recycled content. The municipality of La Pêche is located in the administrative region of the Outaouais and includes nine village cores. It extends over a vast territory of 597,74 km², which makes it the largest municipality of the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Les Collines-de-l’Outaouais and one of the largest ones in Quebec. Its municipal offices are currently divided between two buildings, and both of them are about to reach their maximum capacity. By building a larger city hall building, the municipality plans to house all its staff members under one roof. The new building will therefore provide additional social benefits by reducing the inefficiency of teams and increasing meeting spaces. The study is directly related to the major axes of the municipality’s 2019-2023 strategic plan. If completed, the project will contribute to achieving three of the five targets included in the 2030 Energy Policy of the Quebec government: enhance energy efficiency by 10 %, reduce by 40% the amount of petroleum products consumed, and increase by 25% overall renewable energy output. Innovative aspects The innovation potential is very good considering the principles that were reviewed in this study; in particular, a municipal asset built according to the “Passive House” standard, the LEED certification, and the bioclimatic principles are considered very ambitious for a small municipality. Replicability and lessons learned The replicability potential and the breadth of knowledge to be gained are good considering the rich potential for the adoption of this type of project in similar municipalities in Quebec and Canada. A wide array of Canadian municipalities will be able to use the results and lessons learned. (Project description from original funding application)