Sainte-Adele, subsidised apartment complex

The Inter-Loge / Sainte-Adèle project was designed to bring affordable housing to this fast growing northern "outburb" of Montreal. This 61 unit rental apartment project was financially supported by the Quebec Housing Authority (Société dhabitation du Québec) as part of a public private partnership program (Programme AccèsLogis Québec) to bring affordable housing to market at minimal cost to the public purse.

Hot-dip galvanzing was a natural with its low initial cost combined with long maintenance-free service life and pleasant neutral appearance.

Given the affordable housing objective of the project every element was carefully scrutinized to insure maximum value with special emphasis on both low initial cost and a long, low maintenance service life. The nordic local environment needed to be considered, especially the use of de-icing salts and abrasives necessary to insure exterior fire escapes were ice free at all times for safety .

Hot-dip galvanzing was a natural with its low initial cost combined with long maintenance free service life and pleasant neutral appearance. This contrasts sharply with the ugly sight of rust-stained corroding painted steel quickly ruining the appearance and compromising the safety of nearby housing structures.

The market penetration of hot-dip galvanizing in housing has always lagged well behind other areas so this project is an important step forward, especially given the public funding aspect and potential for mandatory corrosion resistance specifications for all exposed metal in such projects.