SmartMill Head Office

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

SmartMill Head Office

Atelier Guy Architectes

ARCHITECTS
Atelier Guy Architectes

TECHNICAL TEAM
Dany Berthelot

MANUFACTURERS
Ceratec, Juste Du Pin, Norbec, Novo Béton, OlympiaTile+Stone, Prévost Architectural, Sloanstone, Starwall, Tarkett, Teknion

DESIGN TEAM
Catherine Bouchard, Antoine Guy

MEP & HVAC
CBTEC

ENGINEERING
Genie +

CONTRACTOR
Ronam constructions inc.

PROJECT MANAGER
SmartMill, Vincent Beaudoin

PHOTOGRAPHS
Charles O’Hara

AREA
2000 m2

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Lévis, Canada

TYPE
Office Buildings

In 2020, Atelier Guy architects designed the new head office and factory for Smartmill, a company that conceives next-generation automated systems for the wood-processing industry.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

The main aim of the project was to create a building with an all-timber structure, in line with the company’s vision, and to offer spaces that would not only be functional, but also comfortable, bright and friendly.

The use of local wood and products at several levels of the project bears witness to the company's vision by concretely transposing its values into its new head office.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

This new facility was necessary to meet the company’s growing needs and required a surface area of approximately 2,000 square meters. Serving as a showcase for innovation, the building is divided into an administrative pavilion facing the street and a factory section that leads into the backyard.

The building is centered around a bright outdoor courtyard, brimming with greenery, and allows for the adjacent spaces to benefit from a lot of natural light. In fact, the administrative section is equipped with large windows that allow for a direct connection with the central exterior courtyard and the outdoors.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

Moreover, the circulation spaces along the transparent walls bordering the courtyard accentuate the synergy between the interior and the exterior. The architectural staircase, featuring the company's vibrant colors, extends through the hall over two floors, giving access to the workspaces on the upper floor. Bathed in natural light, a lounge area and an open workspace also overlook the courtyard.

losed management offices, meeting rooms, support, sanitary and technical spaces run along the periphery of the floor plan. The administrative section is distinguished by its transparency and the lightness of its structure spanning from the entrance to the inner courtyard.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

Consisting of three large triangulated sections of glued-laminated timber elements, the structure offers for a column-free span, allowing for great flexibility in the layout. Visible from the street, this structural design contributes to the architectural signature of the project, while subtly echoing the company logo.

The factory space is connected to the administrative section directly by the ground floor. It consists of an arched roof made of long curved glued-laminated timber trusses, which was designed to obtain the longest possible span without columns.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

The impressive resulting space allows the floor area to be completely free for production. It features high ceilings capable of accommodating two overhead cranes required for operations. The simplicity of the timber roof and the integration of a wide horizontal window at the top of the workshop contributes to the remarkable quality of the work environment.

The majority of the building's exterior wall cladding is made of Eastern white cedar, a local, durable and low maintenance material.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara

Board and batten sidings of the same material were added to certain parts of the facade, giving the wall a more textured finish and enriching the façade with the resulting light and shadows.

These design choices really showcase the different facets of wood found in Smartmill’s new headquarters.

SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara


SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara
SmartMill Head Office
© Charles O’Hara 


SmartMill Head Office
Elevation - South
SmartMill Head Office
Elevation - North
SmartMill Head Office
Elevation - West
SmartMill Head Office
Elevation - East


SmartMill Head Office
Plan - Second floor
SmartMill Head Office
Plan - Ground floor
SmartMill Head Office
Plan - Site


SmartMill Head Office
Section


SmartMill Head Office
Layout
SmartMill Head Office
Axo