Les Bassins du Nouveau Havre – Bioretention basin

The Bassins du Nouveau-Havre project is an urban and architectural ensemble built on the site of four former transshipment docks, perpendicular to the Lachine Canal. civiliti led the design of the entire public realm, including the new section of Des Bassins Street, the pedestrian walkways and the bioretention basin at the heart of the site. Between the basin and the pedestrian walkways that line it, wide limestone slabs mark the physical heritage of the former industrial basin.

Following in these historic footsteps, the bioretention basin collects water from the new street, which is then conveyed by a network of culverts. The large terrace covers an infrastructure for treating and separating oils before the final destination of run-off water. The project represents the largest bioretention infrastructure built in an urban environment on the territory of Montreal. From the terrace, a long footbridge leads to the Lachine Canal National Historic Site. The experience, traversing the vegetation on a suspended wooden deck, is unique in the city. Native plant selection and landscape design have enabled the rapid growth of a resilient and evolutionary plant community.