Flexible Space that can be used for Multiple Purposes

Atelier Zébulon Perron completed a 10,000 sq. ft. construction project for the Hilton Doubletree Hotel. Located in Complexe Desjardins, a mixed-use office, hotel, and shopping complex in downtown Montreal’s thriving Quartier des spectacles, the project mandate consists of multiple elements, including conversion of an existing breakfast space into a multi-functional room, the creation of a new VIP lounge area for preferred guests, and the design and construction of a brand-new bar, restaurant, and dining room.

Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Planting a Tree of Convivial Connectivity

The core of the project is an expansive breakfast area, which serves as a first foray of guests outside of their hotel rooms. The firm focused on creating a luminous and multi-functional space that would extend beyond the purposes of a breakfast buffet to also serve as a breakout space for the hotel’s adjoining meeting rooms. Soft colours, high-quality walnut, white oak, marbles, velvets, and dichroic steel infuse a sense of lightness and conviviality into clean design gestures that accommodate movement and the functional aspects of the space.

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

In approaching that endeavour, and upon inspecting the premises, the architects discovered an existing skylight above the space that had long been sealed. They reopened the ceiling to expose the skylight, thereby infusing natural light into the space. The skylight became the central component of the entire project, and the firm went to great lengths to source and plant a large tree directly into the space itself. A crane was required to insert the tree through the skylight, and the successful endeavour created an axis in the breakfast space around which everything else in the project would be articulated. Concentric rings on the ceiling emanate from the central opening like ripples of water, and custom-designed lighting fixtures and hanging plants further contribute to a bright and contemporary ambiance.

VIP Lounge
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Breakfast Hub
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Breakfast Hub
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Effective Use of Space

To facilitate transitions of the space from a breakfast area by morning to other functions throughout the day, the firm positioned the breakfast service area between two monoliths, essentially removing it as a visual element of the main room. Adjacent to the main space, a new VIP room was created to provide comfort and light F&B services to the hotel’s preferred guest program members, which is articulated by a glazed glass partition that maintains the permeation of natural light, yet assures the privacy of the room. The firm also leveraged the natural elements offered by an adjoining outdoor terrace to draw additional light into the room, as well as to create a sense of transition between the landscaping of the terrace and the hanging plants and anchoring tree of the breakfast area.

Breakfast Hub
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Breakfast Hub
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Breakfast Hub
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Contemporary Canadiana

Transitioning to the restaurant, Bivouac offers a contemporary Quebecoise culinary experience featuring a terroir-themed menu and locally-procured cheeses and wines. The client was set on creating a concept for the bar and restaurant area evocative of ‘glamping’, or glamorous camping, defined by references to Canadian wilderness landscapes and activities. Rather than taking a literal heritage approach to the idea, Atelier Zébulon Perron endeavoured to assuage the Canadiana theme within the contemporary context of a large downtown hotel.

Breakfast Hub
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Breakfast Hub - Buffet area
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

In translating the concept to the setting of a new restaurant and dining room, one of the first elements introduced was an abundance of neatly arranged, upward-facing canoe paddles, aligned to frame the external perimeters of the space and to serve as a gateway between the breakfast area and the new restaurant. The theme is further conveyed throughout the space through various design elements that include an intricate mosaic tile pattern surrounding the bar, backrests upholstered and cinched with leather straps that are reminiscent of harnessed picnic blankets, and totem-shaped light fixtures emitting lantern-like glows from beneath canvas shades offering a subtle nod to tent material.

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Convivial Connectivity

Located on the 4th floor, the area can be accessed from either the reception area of the hotel lobby, or via the adjacent meeting rooms, with direct access to the bar and restaurant on one side of the elevator core, and direct access to the multi-functional breakfast space on the other. All of the spaces are connected internally, with a pool table and restroom area serving as a transitional space between the bar and the breakfast area. A few short stairs rise to the main bar area, designed as a warm and inviting space for congregating.

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

Le Bivouac
Photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Senécal

The bar leads through to the dining room of Bivouac, designed with a warm ambiance highlighted by rich marbles, velvets, and hardwoods. Ambient light provides playful reflections on strategically-placed vertical mirrors and amber glass panels, while lighting fixtures custom-designed by Atelier Zébulon Perron, in partnership with Lambert et Fils, create optimal settings for both daytime and nighttime operations. The restaurant is further characterized by leather-upholstered banquette seating designed for comfort, and expansive windows overlooking the city’s vibrant Quartier des spectacles, with views of Place des Arts and the Montreal’s Contemporary Art Museum.

Atelier Zébulon Perron

Founded in 2008, Atelier Zébulon Perron is a design firm specializing in commercial development. The firm is renowned for its expertise in the hotel industry, and for its design of bars and restaurants within that sector that have been woven into the fabric of Montreal’s vibrant scene.