600 DLG

A 28 storey facade renovation in an urban environment, delivered twice as fast

Alongside its new build projects, the Upbrella team was receiving a growing number of requests for high rise facade retrofit work. The 600 De La Gauchetière project, a 28 storey office tower in the heart of downtown Montreal, marked a major step in that evolution. It gave Upbrella the opportunity to adapt and deploy its sheltered construction approach to the rehabilitation of existing building envelopes.

In the context of an occupied building in a dense urban environment, the client was looking for a solution that could reduce execution time, lower site related risks and minimize disruption to the surrounding area. After a series of workshops and site visits, it was established that the Upbrella method had the potential to deliver the work in roughly 24 months instead of 48, while helping control the constraints associated with building occupancy, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and the proximity of key urban infrastructure such as bus stops and the metro.

The shelter system was installed in winter 2023 and then moved progressively as the work advanced using a synchronized hydraulic lifting system. This made it possible to renovate the facade floor by floor within a protected, safe and controlled environment, sheltered from the weather. Completed in spring 2025, the 600 De La Gauchetière project provides concrete proof that facade retrofit work carried out under shelter can be delivered in about half the time of conventional methods, while improving safety, productivity and control over impacts in an occupied urban setting.