With non-standard dimensions of 110m long, 78m wide and 18m high, the new football complex in Montreal city cannot be ignored.

This worldwide unique construction is to be credited to Saucier + Perrotte architecture workshop who created a non-orthogonal beam fishnet roofing that gives a really interesting perspective effect. Also, by using 4000m3 of Quebec black spruce, this construction got a really interesting carbon footprint that cannot be reached by other materials.

This wooden structure is the fruit of labor from Nordic Structures for the design and engineering part and also from Chantiers Chibougamau for glulam/CLT supply and CNC fabrication. Cadwork software was part of the success with 3d modeling of the roof structure, shop drawings, assembly drawings and CNC machine data elaboration. The interface between Cadwork and Leica Builder total station was also used and allowed controlling the precision of metal connectors before lifting all 13 main beams that were close to 70m long and 4m high. The main beams are box girders made of glulam parts and CLT panels ensuring the architect desired aesthetic without penalizing the weight of the structure. One of the challenges was the transmission of traction forces in the 3 parts lower chord. These forces are transmitted by a steel connector attached to the glulam beams with screws that were developed especially for this project.

This project is another witness of a fruitful collaboration between pioneer architects advantageously using the numerous advantages of wood and state-of-the-art technology wood construction specialists. This unique construction is to the credit of the architectural studio Saucier + Perrotte Architects, who created a roof made of a mesh of non-orthogonal beams that gives a very interesting perspective effect. Moreover, with the use of 4000m3 of Quebec black spruce, this construction has a very interesting carbon footprint that other materials cannot achieve. The wood structure is the result of the work of Nordic Structures for the design and engineering part as well as Chantiers Chibougamau for the wood supply and CNC manufacturing. The cadwork software contributed to the success of the project with the 3D modeling of the roof structure, the manufacturing and assembly plans as well as the development of the CNC machine data. The interface between cadwork and the Leica Builder total station also allowed the accuracy of the metal supports to be checked before the 13 main beams of almost 70m length and 4m height were lifted. The main beams are box beams made of glued laminated timber and CLT panels, ensuring the aesthetics desired by the architect without penalizing the weight of the structure. One of the challenges was the transmission of the tensile forces in the 3-part bottom chord. These forces are transmitted by a steel fitting attached to the glulam beams with screws that were developed specifically for this project. This project is another testimony of a fruitful collaboration between pioneering architects using the many advantages of wood and state-of-the-art wood construction specialists.