Macdonald Engineering, Renovation Of Soil Mechanics Labs

In 1893, the Applied Science Faculty (now Engineering) was relocated to a new home consisting of two structures: one donated by Thomas Workman, and one donated by Sir William Macdonald, one of McGill’s most generous benefactors. 

Architect Andrew Taylor’s imposing five-storey Macdonald Engineering Building featured a symmetrical, Italian Renaissance façade, and was made of Montreal limestone on the exterior. The interior was lined with brick and purely functional, and the ground floor featured a foundry, a forge, a steam and thermodynamics lab, a dynamo and engine room, and a hydraulics lab. 

Unfortunately, the building was gutted by a fire on April 5, 1907. 

Immediately after the fire, Sir William Macdonald stepped forward once again to offer a new Engineering Building to the University. The present Engineering Building was erected on the foundations of Taylor’s project, and was designed in 1908 by Percy Erskine Nobbs, the Director of the School of Architecture at the time. Following the fate of Taylor’s building, the University requested that this structure be as fire-proof as possible. 

So Nobbs, like Taylor, had to put function ahead of ornament. The edifice still stands to this day and is used by the Faculty of Engineering. It has a layout and plan similar to that of Taylor’s. And while it is highly practical, it still features some ornament, such as the carving on the south wall of a phoenix rising from ashes—a reminder of the fate of Taylor’s building and a symbol of rebirth. 

Project Description:

This project seeks to transform the Soil Mechanics Labs in the Macdonald Engineering Building. This work includes upgrading the labs to improve the students' experience and modernizing the equipment, lab furniture, and room accessibility/layout

Project scope:

This project involves the renovation of the Soil Mechanics Labs in the Macdonald Engineering Building (rooms MD78, MD79, MD79B, C, D, E). The labs will be upgraded to improve the students' experience as well as to modernize the equipment, lab furniture, and room accessibility/layout. This project will be funded by TLS.

Project Details:

Status	Design
Est. Project Start Date	2024 - 2026
Est. Budget Range	$1,000,000 - $2,000,000
Location	Macdonald Engineering Building, Building 130
Project Number	19-124
Contact	map.procurement [at] mcgill.ca

Please read the following information carefully :

Sustainable Procurement

The businesses with which the University will conclude a contract with in the course of this project will have to respect the McGill Supplier Code of Conduct.

Other requirements may apply, such as (for example): the quantification and limiting of GHG emissions over the contract or asset lifecycle, sustainable construction/product certifications, involvement of indigenous businesses or of social economy businesses, design for circularity, and so on.

Notice : Information in this document is not to be interpreted as a commitment to conduct any solicitation in any particular market (or to fulfill any particular need) within any timeframe. This document is based on preliminary assessments which may be modified and needs may consequently be increased, partially fulfilled or cancelled. The needs of the client units may fluctuate according to their capabilities and priorities. Moreover, this acquisition plan is subject to various risk factors that have an influence on the operations of McGill University, such as available revenue, inflation, changes in: provincial and federal policies, technologies, human resources, social movements and trends, demographic aspects of the student population and the academic personnel.