Former convent transformed into state-of-the-art residence and study space
Concordia University’s newest student residence, meant to provide housing to almost 600 students and augment study space to over 300 more, officially opened to celebration on Monday at the former Grey Nuns convent.
The ceremony took place in the former Chapelle de l’Invention-de-la-Sainte-Croix, which has been transformed into the Reading Room. Attendees of the event included the Grey Nuns congregation and their Congregational Leader Sister Jacqueline St-Yves, Montreal City Councillor and Borough Mayor for Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace Russell Copeman, and Hélène David, the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications and Minister Responsible for the Protection and Promotion of the French Language.
Photo by Nathalie Laflamme
“Concordia is now offering to its students a reading room that is an impressive place of beauty, calm and serenity,” said Dr. Guylaine Beaudry, a librarian at Concordia University. “What fills me with emotion is the blend of the traditionally religious with a space devoted to study and research.”
Beaudry continued to describe the Reading Room as the “only place for students to study in silence” on campus. “[The students] talk to us, using Facebook, and on Instagram and Twitter to tell us how this reading room inspires them to study, how it makes them proud to be Concordians.”
“Allow me to express how happy we are that this house will continue its mission of welcome,” said St-Yves. “I can tell you [that when we returned], it was an unforgettable moment. Where the past, the present, and – most importantly – the future, came together.”
“This was particularly challenging project, and the turning [of] a … protected convent into a 600-bed student residence and this magnificent study space has been extremely well executed,” said Copeman.
The event also included a performance by Concordia’s Theatre department. Students scattered around the Reading Room read aloud excerpts from Marguerite d’Youville (founder of the Grey Nuns) in French, Shakespearean English, a statement of solidarity in Cree, and Dante’s Divine Comedy in Italian.
“When [the performance] became a little bit cacophonous, it sounded a little bit like a meeting of the City Council of Montreal,” joked Copeman.
The building had been recognized as a historic building by the Government of Quebec, who collaborated with Concordia University and the Grey Nuns on the heritage preservation of the premises.
The acquisition of the Grey Nuns Residence makes it Concordia University’s oldest building. Certain areas, such as the crypt inside the building, will remain under the custodianship of the Grey Nuns.
In Spring 2015 an event will be held to commemorate the recognition of its historic status by the federal government.
Concordia University has a long legacy of religious collaborations. Both Loyola College and Sir George Williams University were originally founded by religious groups. The name “Concordia” is Latin for “harmony,” representing the merger of the two institutions.
Off-campus legal resource tells you how to avoid hellish housing situations
It was around five a.m. when my roommate came to say goodbye, giving me a half-hearted wave before vanishing forever into the snowy February morning. The furniture was sold and out of sight, the fridge emptied, and his affairs wrapped up in a neat two-week whirl, giving me barely enough time to process that he was leaving before I found myself alone in the apartment with no roommate and no sofa to flop exasperatedly onto. My personal horror story ended that pre-dawn morning, with nothing but dumb luck protecting me from having to pay the $900 rent on my own.
Don’t end up in my shoes. Concordia’s Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank (HOJO) is a free legal information (not advice) treasure trove wrapped up in brightly-coloured brochures and presented by friendly students.
Moving in with roommates for the first time? Do you know what hours they like getting freaky, how often they believe in cleaning the toilet, or who they’re down with crashing on your couch? You will soon enough, so HOJO has a list of everything that causes major conflicts between students living with one another and recommends sitting down with your new roomie and discussing the items on that list.
“You definitely see a lot of people live together that would never meet if it wasn’t for Craigslist,” said Leanne Ashworth, HOJO coordinator. Talking to one another about boundaries, limitations, and sharing is always best before tensions rise—in my case over who kept stealing my food and refusing to pitch in for toilet paper.
Roomies can write a roommate agreement, which is a legally binding document. The agreement will come under the rule of the Rental Board of Quebec, a small court that can sort your housing issues for only $70.
Headaches over leases, subleases, joint tenancy, and occupancy agreements can be cured by HOJO’s handy fact sheets (powerpoint diagrams included) or by their friendly assistants.
Even if, like me during first year, you thought you knew it all and didn’t need HOJO’s advice, I still recommend dropping by a HOJO workshop for the free pizza (sometimes) and the handy advice (always) held throughout the year.
I learned from HOJO that my landlord asked for a key deposit, forbade me to paint, and renovated my bathroom (using the Esso across the street to pee at three a.m. for three nights in a row) without offering any compensation—all illegally. And that was before the pizza even arrived.
If you are new to living on your own or just never bothered to read some legal textbooks to figure out your rights as a tenant (because who does, really?), then hit up HOJO for some sweet free information, advice, and tips to make home where your heart is, and not where World War III breaks out daily.
Housing advice, student classifieds, and other useful links can be found at hojo.csu.qc.ca.
The Grey Nuns building exterior. Photo by The Concordian.
140 year-old Grey Nuns building, once a convent, now ready to welcome students
The Grey Nuns building, located on Guy St, just steps away from Ste-Catherine St., is a building all Concordia students have walked in front of. Some may have noticed its beauty, tucked away behind the many trees on the lot, a building that is clearly so much older than those surrounding it. It is also Concordia’s most newly acquired, yet oldest, building.
This building – which dates back to the 1870s and was purchased by Concordia University in 2007 for $18 million – has been given a new purpose: to accommodate students. The building also has a daycare facility. Concordia has been working for years in order to renovate the building while keeping its historic presence intact. This was accomplished with the help of the Sisters and the government of Quebec. The project cost $15 million, according to The Gazette.
The Grey Nuns building exterior. Photo by Concordia.
Renovations began after the sisters left the building, in April of last year.
A few renovations were done to the west wing in order to accommodate some students, about 245, back when the building was originally purchased.
The Concordian was able to get a glimpse into the building to check out the (almost) completed product during a media tour on Aug. 12. The tour was lead by Clarence Epstein, senior director of Urban and Cultural Affairs, and Peter Bolla, associate vice-president of Facilities Management.
The Building
The Grey Nuns building is an H-shaped with a surface measuring 375,000 square feet. The land the building on, which Concordia also owns and which once served as a very large garden, measures 8 acres.
Now that the renovations have been completed, the building can now accommodate 355 more student beds, meaning that 600 students can now live in the building.
The seemingly untouched chapel is now filled with tables and lamps, so that students can work in silence while surrounded by historical pieces of art, gorgeous high ceilings, and stain-glass windows. The chapel fits up to 240 students. Red, modern lounge chairs were added to the front of the chapel. The red accessories were chosen, according to Epstein, to connect the history of the religious coding to the university’s coding of the space. The tables even have incorporated plugs, so that students can plug in their laptops and cellphones.
“[The chapel] allows for people to learn, to grow, to transform themselves, to reflect on their work and to get some private, individual study,” Concordia President Dr. Alan Shepard said. “…It has some exquisite 19th century art on the walls, which has all been left for us by the Grey Nuns. We are certain that students will find this to be incredibly productive space, quiet reflective space. It’s in keeping with the heritage of the reflective nature of this space, originally.”
The beautiful renovations done to the interior are both a touch of modern and classical. Photo by Concordia.
The hallway leading to the chapel is filled with beautiful photographs created several years ago by the faculty of fine arts. The faculty commissioned artists to photograph and interpret the departure of the sisters, Epstein explained. “These works have now been hung permanently in this corridor to make that connection between their legacy and the new purpose that the site has for the university,” he said.
Fourteen group rooms were created, each with a white board and tables where six people can work comfortably. Students will be able to reserve these study spaces through the library. These rooms were originally used as administrative offices for the sisters.
Another 300 study spaces were added throughout the building. The room that served as a temporary chapel before the permanent chapel was built was converted into another space for both study and fun. Tables and chairs are on both sides of the room, and leather couches are in the centre so that students can relax. There is even space in the front of the room for a stage, for special occasions or concerts. The large windows fill the room with natural light, and the colorful lighting that was added during the renovations adds a young feel to the building.
The renovations allowed the school to add some beautiful glass doors to the building, in order to separate common areas, which will be open to all students, and areas reserved to students living there. In order to enter the building, students will have to scan their student IDs. Although most of the walls remained white, a few colorful touches were added to ceiling in different parts of the building, giving the building a younger, warmer, modern touch.
The Grey Nuns building has a state-of-the-art kitchen, where the food delivered throughout campus will be produced from now on. There is also a second option for those living in dorms; a second kitchen reserved for students who wish to cook for themselves. This new plan, a first for Concordia, is called myPantry. Students can simply order their groceries through the building (the cost is included in their rent), store the items in the mini fridges in their dorm room, and cook them when they please in the common kitchen. Cooking lessons will be offered, and a nutritionist will visit to give students pointers. This kitchen even has a smoothie bar.
The dorm rooms are small but cozy, and the large windows let in a lot of natural light. All the rooms include a bed, an armoire, a chair, a desk, a mini fridge, and a sink. Some also have semi private and private bathrooms. Communal, newly renovated bathrooms are available for those without private bathrooms. The showers are unisex.
The building also has multipurpose rooms with game tables and big screen TVs, so that students can relax.
Those visiting the building were able to go to a part of the building that is not usually open to the public: the crypt in the building, where many of the Grey Nuns were buried. The crypt in not accessible to those in the building, although it is possible to see the room from outside.
Prices
Different dorm sizes (and prices) are available for students who wish to live in the Grey Nuns residence. Thirteen different room options are available, all varying in size, most of them single but some doubles, most with sinks, some semi private bathrooms (toilet and sink), and some with full showers. The least expensive single room with sink costs $720 per month, or $6,024 with tuition for the year, not including the meal plan. The most expensive room, the private room with full bathroom, costs $850 per month, or $7,111.67 with the school year, including tuition. A single room in Hingston hall costs between $525.04 per month and $684.56 per month, while single rooms in the Jesuit residence costs $831.74 per month. Both the Jesuit residence and Hingston hall are located at the Loyola Campus. The Grey Nuns building is the first to be located in Concordia’s downtown campus.
It is important to note that these prices do not include the meal plan, which costs $3,950 per year, with $125 in flex dollars.
History
This building was built in order to accommodate the Grey Nuns, who were founded by Marguerite d’Youville and three of her partners back in 1737. Architect Victor Bourgeau, a known and respected architect who specialized in religious building, was hired for the job. The H Shaped building has three wings, the inner outdoor area once having been reserved for gardening.
The Grey Nuns lived in the building until 2013. Originally, the nuns had planned to stay until 2022, but chose to leave early. They left most of the things in the building behind, only taking with them what was most linked to their history; wooden panels, for example, with the name of every nun to have ever lived in the building.
During the tour, Epstein recounted the day that Margaret d’Youville’s remains left the building, on a snowy day last year. Some of Concordia’s staff were invited to attend the ceremony.
“We were fortunate to be invited to the deconsecration of the chapel, where they removed the remains of Marguerite d’Youville, and officially made this space use as a profane site. and that is when the university began studies to convert it into a space for student use,” Epstein explained.
He explained that all sisters were brought in from various convents to witness Marguerite d’Youville’s final departure. The remains were brought down the aisle. Sisters lined the aisle while carrying the flowers of their namesake, marguerites.
“When the doors of the chapel opened, there was this flood of willowy light snow that kind of blew into the chapel as she was leaving. There was a limousine waiting for her and police accompaniment, to take her to the basilica for her final blessings. It was very special,” Epstain said.
Students can now apply to live in the residence. The Grey Nuns building is located on 1190 Guy St. The main entrance is located on Guy St. For more information, visit http://www.concordia.ca/maps/buildings/gn.html.
Two Concordia University engineering students were featured in a CBC News article earlier this month for helping to solve housing problems in Canada’s North.
Press photo
Daniel Baril, from Quebec’s northern community of Kuujjuaq and Ahmad Kayello, from Saudi Arabia are both second year Master’s students studying building, civil and environmental engineering.
They are working on their thesis project entitled “Field Study of Hygrothermal Performance of Housing in the Canadian North” which consists of monitoring the hygrothermal performance of existing social housing in Nunavik, with a focus on developing new sustainable housing options.
“There is a housing shortage up north, and lots of overcrowding,” said Baril in a feature on Concordia’s website. “There are multiple families living under the same roof […] it’s a high cost of building so it’s a tough place to try and catch up with the housing needs.”
Working under the supervision of Paul Fazio, a professor of building engineering and member of Concordia’s Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, Baril and Kayello are conducting tests in Concordia’s Environmental Chamber and on site in the North.
“Ahmad and Daniel are going beyond the requirements for their Master’s degree; their passion is to improve the living conditions of the people in the North,” said Fazio.
Over the last month, they have built a test hut in the Environmental Chamber which has been subjected to temperatures of up to -40 C, to simulate real-life conditions.
“It’s basically a big refrigerator, it goes down to -40 C and we have a test hut built in there and we can do different experiments,” Baril told the CBC.
The students told the CBC’s Daybreak they hope their prototypes will offer a practical solution for the North’s unique needs. Due to the short building season, the team has innovated houses that fit together like Lego pieces. With local aid, homes are typically erected on site in only six days.
The walls are made from prefabricated sandwich boards: two layers of wood with Styrofoam inside. It is important that humidity not pass through them because water vapor can condense, freeze, thaw and eventually cause hazardous mold growth.
According to Baril, due to rising fuel costs and an increase in housing needs for remote communities — where many of Canada’s natural resources lie — there has never been a greater need for innovative building designs.
Baril and Kayello have been focusing on the issue of fine powder snow, also referred to as icing sugar snow, which can enter through small cracks in the house’s infrastructure, and subsequently cause structural damage.
In order to prevent leaks, the two students came up with the idea of sealing off the attics, which raised other concerns.
“We’re trying to see if we can completely seal these attics […] and then there’s also a chance of moisture problems because of the moist air getting in and not being able to escape. So there are drawbacks to both venting and unventing,” Kayello told the CBC.
Since much research has already been done regarding housing in hotter climates, the students have ample opportunity to research housing improvements in colder climates. The hope is that their work will benefit the communities of the Arctic for the long term.
International students who are victims of illegal housing practices remain silent instead of voicing their complaints, according to the Concordia Student Union Off-Campus Housing & Job Bank co-ordinator Leanne Ashworth. However, Ashworth as well as CSU Legal Information Clinic co-ordinator Walter Tom are now encouraging students to take their case to the Quebec Human Rights Commission, according to a press release from the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations.
The release said that the commission “is still waiting for students to come forward.”
“What [the commission] informed us of was that they would be looking only at individual cases […] so we’re still currently working with students to see if they want to do that,” said Ashworth. “However, many students are too worried to do that on their own.” That’s why last September HOJO and the legal clinic teamed up with CRARR, who are willing to represent students if they choose to take their complaints to the Commission.
The problems that plague international students remain largely unchanged; according to 30-year-old mature student Alia, who preferred not to give her last name, landlords take advantage of three factors with international student tenants. “It’s the time issue – because we can’t stay in hotels forever, it costs money,” she said. “The other thing is our ignorance, because we don’t know, and the third thing is we’re very easily fooled. If something looks decent we just think it’s decent.”
After moving to Montreal last year, Alia stayed at a hotel before signing a two-year contract at a building accross the street. The landlords asked for her social insurance number, made her pay a $4,000 deposit up front – enough for four months’ rent – and refused to fix the windows in her 30-year-old, unrenovated apartment.
Finally, Alia went to HOJO, where an employee took the time to explain the right way to deal with her landlords. She didn’t need to take her case to the Quebec Human Rights Commission since, once she made it clear she was aware of her rights, her landlords gave her no more grief.
However, she says she couldn’t have done it without the help of that employee at HOJO. “When we’re new in the country, the silliest, easiest things […] just seem very complicated to us. For some reason we have blocks towards that because we’re just new and we’re kind of scared,” she explained.
Ashworth acknowledged the sentiment, but also called out to the students to come forward: “If they have any questions, if they’re not happy where they’re renting, if they’re having problems with their landlords, [students] should come to talk to us.”
