Over the past five months, Pettes Library has made significant progress on its project to extend and renovate the existing building. In December, following a public tender, the library hired a project manager to oversee all the work required to complete the project. The chosen firm, Strategia Conseil, has 25 years experience in managing projects like the library’s.

It also has the added advantage of having previously worked with the Quebec Department of Culture and Communication, from which the library is seeking a grant of more than $2 million. Strategia Conseil’s first task was to hire, by invitation to tender, an architectural firm to prepare the Functional and Technical Program (FTP), develop the formal budget and schedule and prepare the technical studies – archaeological and environmental, among others – required for the project.

The architectural firm selected was Chevalier Morales, which was founded in 2005 and has become one of the leading architectural firms in Quebec. Its expertise in libraries and cultural heritage, as well as the quality of its work, has earned it numerous awards and distinctions. Chevalier Morales works in partnership with experienced engineering firms: Ambioner, which specialises in electromechanical design and Latéral, a structural engineering company.

In August, the library’s management will confidently present the results of this work to the Quebec Department of Culture and Communication in the hope of obtaining the grant.