MONTREAL, May 18, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - This morning, world-renowned astrophysicist and ecologist Hubert Reeves, Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent and Vice-President of the City of Montreal's Executive Committee, Mario Monette, President and CEO of Technoparc Montréal and over 100 special guests attended the official launch of the future Éco-campus Hubert Reeves at the future site, located at Alexander-Fleming Street and Alfred-Nobel Boulevard, within Technoparc Montréal's Saint-Laurent Campus. This 20 acre campus, whose scale is unprecedented in Canada, will be dedicated to R&D companies active in the clean technologies sector.
The Éco-campus Hubert Reeves will be located south of the Saint-Laurent Campus science park, on the outskirts of the Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport.
An estimated 70,000 m2 of office and workshop space will be built in six to eight buildings. A vast conservation zone, a multifunctional reception pavilion, and a public plaza will also be key elements of the new campus. The cutting edge technologies used to construct the buildings will serve as benchmarks for years to come.
"We're very proud that Hubert Reeves decided to partner with us on this one-of-a-kind project. Many companies have already told us that they're very interested in being among the first residents to set up shop at the Éco-campus Hubert Reeves," said Mario Monette, President and CEO of Technoparc Montréal.
Reeves was also delighted to see the official opening of the "Natural Oasis" that is being developed on the future Éco-campus Hubert Reeves (50% of the campus) with a view to preserving the existing biodiversity of this natural environment. "A natural oasis is a bridge between humanity and biodiversity," said Reeves, an internationally renowned astrophysicist and the President of Humanity & Biodiversity.
"We're one step closer to seeing the Éco-campus Hubert-Reeves completed today. Montréal wants to be home to dynamic job sectors adapted to 21st century realities and the Éco-campus Hubert Reeves promises to drive the development of new business clusters by housing research centres and companies dedicated to developing clean technologies. Transforming this area into a campus that promotes sustainable development will attract the international scientific community to Saint-Laurent, in the heart of a natural habitat that values biodiversity and offers state-of-the-art facilities," said Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent and Vice-President of the City of Montreal's Executive Committee. "For all these reasons, the City of Montréal is contributing $12.5 M in financial support to help develop infrastructures for this exemplary project".
"We have built many facilities in Saint-Laurent for the world's most prestigious companies, and will continue to provide state-of-the-art premises around the "Natural Oasis". We look forward to the future," declared Mrs. Sandra Levy, President and CEO of Liberty Sites, who also attended the launch.
Like the distinguished astrophysicist and ecologist after whom the campus has been named, this one-of-kind site will promote environmental integrity, health, and the conservation of life-sustaining ecosystems.
Located on the outskirts of a future regional park, the campus is being developed in one of the Island of Montreal's 10 ecoterritories, i.e. the ecoforest corridor along the Bertrand Stream Basin. The conservation of natural habitats on the site and the establishment of green connections with surrounding habitats are essential to preserving biodiversity on the Island of Montreal. Five different wetlands are located on the property, three of which are considered to have significant ecological value.
The urban development approach used to develop the Éco-campus Hubert Reeves will borrow from the latest urbanism and sustainable development trends. Inspired from what has been done abroad and our own engineering know-how, the concept clearly expresses the desire to create a campus that will do our city proud, bring together the greatest scientific minds, and offer an exceptional working environment. In keeping with the City's goals, everything has been done to protect and enrich the ecosystem of the site. The growth of exemplary biodiversity will be fostered by integrating strategies aimed at minimizing the environment impact of the project on fragile ecosystems.
About Technoparc Montréal
Committed to the scientific and technological development of Montréal, Technoparc Montréal designs and deploys large-scale private and institutional projects, and finances and constructs technical buildings housing high tech companies and scientific research centres. Technoparc Montréal plays a pivotal role in the operationalization of Montréal, City of knowledge - a stimulating vision that fosters the promotion of knowledge, creativity and innovation.
Image with caption: "World-renowned astrophysicist and ecologist Hubert Reeves, Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent and Vice-President of the City of Montreal's Executive Committee, Mario Monette, President and CEO of Technoparc Montréal and special guests attended today the official launch of the future Éco-campus Hubert Reeves. (CNW Group/TECHNOPARC MONTRÉAL)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120518_C8892_PHOTO_EN_13941.jpg
Annie Gravier
Director of Public Affairs and Communications
(514) 956-2545
www.technoparc.com
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