Residential buildings are second nature to all of us and fullfil one of the most basic human needs, housing. At ITTUE, our area of expertise covers both single-family and multi-family buildings, from new construction to transformations of existing buildings, in urban and suburban contexts. We strive to create residential architecture that conveys a sense of well-being and belonging to its occupants, while exploring diverse design possibilities.

Commercial buildings fulfill at least three roles: they generate profit, they define the working environment for their users and they promote the company’s image. In our design process, we integrate these elements into the project in the best possible way.

Today, industrial buildings can be more than just boxes; they have the potential to promote and improve the work of their occupants. That’s why we strive to design industrial buildings that are both distinctive and cost-effective, making functionality, safety and efficiency our top priorities in the execution of these projects.

Institutions play a structuring role in our society. Our daycare, school and worship projects provide stimulating, safe and optimistic environments. Natural materials and abundant daylight are just two of the most important design elements we focus on at ITTUE.

As technology has changed the way we live and work, the boundaries between these human activities are slowly disappearing. As a result, office environments are undergoing a major change in terms of spatial configuration, functional flexibility, materials, and finally, atmosphere. Our firm excels in the design of complete office buildings, interior fit-outs and transformations. We work closely with business owners to design projects that are highly functional and provide engaging work environments.

New construction offer many opportunities in several respects, such as architectural design, building materials and functional schemes. However, with this initial freedom come obligations such as durability, comfort, equity, adaptability and low maintenance costs. As ideas, goals and aspirations are translated into architecture through our design process, they ultimately become the markers of their time.

The transformation of existing buildings symbolically represents a dialogue between old and new, where one usually dominates the other. In many situations, the old structures are worth keeping or must be preserved for various reasons; while sometimes challenging, selective preservation is interesting and rewarding.

The envelope provides the building an interface with the external environment while simultaneously turning an image to the world. No matter how spectacular or attractive buildings look from the outside, their interior space is what matters most to their occupants. That’s why we pay close attention to creating functional, comfortable and warm interior environments.

For us, well-designed outdoor spaces support architecture, when present, and ensure a smooth transition between the surrounding areas and our project sites.

Furniture greatly influences our perception of the fonctionality of spaces. That’s why, in our office, we design distinctive and ergonomic furniture down to the smallest detail, both for the exterior and the interior.

The preliminary documents stage is when the project begins to take shape, through various compliance studies and architectural exploration activities. This is also where the functional and technical requirements of the client’s program ultimately translate into a building design. The preliminary phase is sometimes preceded by the pre-design and schematic design phases, as needed.

One of the first reality checks in any architectural project is obtaining a building permit. Building permit documents set forth, in detail, the preliminary design; they require basic coordination with any other consultants involved in the project (i.e. structural and MEP engineers). Ultimately, building permit documents lead to the approval of the building design by the relevant authorities (i.e. the urban planning department).

Once the building permit is issued, the architectural documents are taken to the next level – the consolidated documents. These documents are essential for builders to undertake construction work. Simply put, the consolidated documents include critical construction details and material specifications, and require an extensive coordination with other consultants involved in the project.

A tendering process is often used when a construction contractor must be selected. The consolidated documents are handed to several bidders along with the administrative clauses (project schedule, work site conditions, payment schedule, cost breakdown, etc.). This process allows builders to submit competitive bids. Based on the owner’s criteria and possibly through post-tender negotiation, a builder can be hired.

General review is a set of architectural services provided during construction, which include the examination, evaluation and reporting upon representative samples of the work. Throughout the process, the Client is informed of the progress and the quality of the construction work as well as of the defects and deficiencies observed during the site reviews.

Usually, creativity is associated with design and appearance. However, our creativity goes beyond the surface and permeates every aspect of our work, developing innovative solutions to every challenge, whether big or small.

It goes without saying that experience is almost as important as knowledge. We are a team of well-rounded architects with over 20 years of practice in various architectural programs and work environments.

Brilliant ideas require technical skills and knowledge to come to life. At ITTUE, we deliver bold designs backed by strong technical capabilities.

Rigour complements our inspiration, knowledge and skills. Rigour is part of our work ethic at every step, making our results speak for themselves.

Whether big or small, we treat each new project with the same interest, attention and level of enthusiasm.

We use the most advanced technology on the market (Building Information Modeling) to design, detail and coordinate our projects. Using BIM software, we can generate and update the virtual model of the project as needed, including building components, performance, materials, quantities, etc. Our software ensures a flawless transition between project phases, faster delivery times and better quality control throughout the process.

Any transformation project requires adequate knowledge of the existing structure. All our services involving transformations include architectural surveys.

When approaching a project, one of the first and most important studies has to do with the regulations that apply to that particular project. Most often, these are municipal bylaws and building codes. Throughout the project, we ensure that the regulations are well respected and integrated into the projects.

One of the many facets of our role is to coordinate the project team. We provide the other design consultants with basic project information and guide them through as many phases as necessary. In other words, we ensure that everyone is on the same page.

In the best interest of all the project’s stakeholders, we keep our channels of communication with clients and consultants open throughout the project.

A fixed fee is better suited to large, homogeneous projects whose scope is well defined.

An hourly rate is normally billed for small projects, exploratory work, undefined projects and changes in the scope of our services.

This is the method that we use the most. Typically, we provide our customers with a fee estimate based on our hourly rate. This method ensures good predictability of the final fee on the side of our customers and fair remuneration on our side.