Cochon Dingue Place Sainte-Foy
Restos Plaisirs and LemayMichaud have been collaborating for over 35 years, and for each adventure, LemayMichaud has had but one goal: to make the experience exclusive, friendly, and unforgettable.
Cochon Dingue restaurants have always had a strong street presence in some of Quebec City’s most prominent locations. For the restaurant located in Place Ste-Foy, one of the most popular shopping centers in the city, the challenge was to maintain the same strong street presence despite the fact that the restaurant is part of a shopping center. The chosen premises, a former restaurant, required a façade renovation and is situated in a critical location, set between two recently renovated sections of the mall. In addition, as the façade is set back from the boulevard, visibility was an important consideration.
Cochon Dingue Place Sainte-Foy: the façade challenge
This project’s major challenge was to give new character to the existing façade while integrating it to its architectural environment. For this reason, the materials and architectural composition were revisited to ensure a better uniformity with the work carried out on the rest of the shopping center; and, while the integration to this modern ensemble was important, we also had to ensure that the Parisian bistro inspired brand was conveyed properly.
The architectural concept thus aims to extend the mall’s identity through its architectural composition and choice of materials. The inclusion of some of the details specific to Place Ste-Foy’s redevelopment, such as the white arches delimiting tenant spaces, contributes to the harmonisation with the subsequent phases of façade work on Laurier Boulevard and gives the façade a new prominence in the surrounding built environment.
The extension of the old façade proposes an alignment perpendicular to Laurier Boulevard and a vertical one with the immediate neighbours and the redevelopment of “Les Ailes” sector. The side closest to the boulevard is extended by a colonnade delimiting a section of terrace covered by a metal pergola. Therefore, the visibility from the street is increased and the façade is enhanced, while an architectural continuity is present when viewed from Laurier Boulevard.
In term of choice of materials, since the concept is an extension of the extensive renovation project of Place Ste-Foy, the colors and materials used for the adjacent stores have been reused. For example, white and anthracite fiber cement panels are the same those used for Baton Rouge restaurant, and the glossy enamelled white brick that brings the sought-after Parisian cachet is the same size as the one used on the store next door. To give the restaurant facade a unique and branded identity, certain details specific to Cochon Dingue restaurants, such as the terrace, the landscaping and a few touches of color, help to convey the restaurant's distinctive signature.
Bringing in natural light
Another of the project’s challenges was to bring natural light into the premises. By raising the façade, the architectural composition allowed for more generous fenestration, and therefore bringing a better influx of natural light to the front of the premises. The addition of a huge skylight allows additional natural light to enter the interior.
