Located in Montreal’s Square Mile, the Melvin Charney sculpture garden built in 1990 features two concrete arcades. In 2017, the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) mandated EVOQ Architecture to rehabilitate the north arcade which also acts as a retaining wall. The project addressed two main challenges: cleaning thick white calthemite deposits from the arcade’s lower portion, and performing seamless localized concrete repairs. 

Completed in 2019, the project relied on a close collaboration between the architect, EVOQ; masonry conservator, Trevor Gillingwater; concrete testing laboratory, SIMCO Technologies; and heritage mason, Maçonnerie L.M.R, to achieve a high level of craftsmanship based on a precise understanding of material properties.