Unveiling of three public artworks celebrating local culture and tour of the rooftop community garden: Prével's Esplanade Cartier comes alive in the heart of Montréal
MONTRÉAL, Sept. 25, 2025 /CNW/ - At a morning event on Esplanade Cartier's urban square, attended by Robert Beaudry, City Councillor for the Ville-Marie borough and member of Montréal's Executive Committee, Laurence Vincent, President of Prével, Élizabeth–Ann Doyle, Executive and Artistic Director of the Montréal-based organization MU, and Véronique Rioux, Industrial Design Consultant, Prével officially unveiled three public artworks created by artists Antonietta Grassi, MSHL, and Diane Roe. The event also offered a tour of the new neighbourhood, allowing attendees to admire the works and discover Montréal's very first rooftop community garden.
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Three artists elevate Esplanade Cartier with their talent
Antonietta Grassi has devoted most of her career to abstract painting. She constructs layered forms crossed by delicate lines which reference textiles, architecture, analog technologies and the history of 20th-century painting. Winner of the competition to integrate a permanent glass artwork into the façade of the Women's Y at Esplanade Cartier, the Montréal artist has created a piece inspired by the local community, which has been praised by the selection committee. Visible from the Jacques Cartier Bridge and De Lorimier Avenue, the work evokes a hybrid between weaving and barcodes, symbolizing the alliance between technology and craftsmanship, while its metaphorical lines express the bonds that unite generations.
MSHL, originally from France, is an award-winning, self-taught artist whose work is nourished by influences such as Matisse, Ricardo Cruz Diez, and Vasarely. He now works in an abstract, geometric world, where the placement of each element is justified by its relationship to the others. For his piece, he chose colours that echo the shades of blue found in the building's brick façade.
Montréal artist and arts educator Diane Roe studied visual arts and print media at Concordia University and exhibits regularly. Fascinated by large-scale work that lets viewers truly feel and absorb her paintings, she turned to murals to democratize visual art. Her creation for the Esplanade Cartier courtyard is inspired by the traces and textures of Montréal and the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, which she transforms into abstract compositions.
From art to garden: the highest vegetable garden in Montréal is at Esplanade Cartier
Covering 12,000 square feet, Esplanade Cartier's collective garden—created by Prével in close collaboration with the Laboratoire sur l'agriculture urbaine (AU/LAB)—is the highest rooftop vegetable garden in Montréal. It aims to combat food insecurity in the Centre–Sud neighbourhood while helping to reduce urban heat islands. Community organizations and residents of the Ville–Marie borough can garden there and harvest vegetables.
Quotes
"From the outset, our approach for Esplanade Cartier was guided by ten key principles: designing and developing with the community, promoting diversity and social mix, ensuring harmonious integration into the existing urban fabric, developing sustainably and creating a permeable, welcoming site that's interconnected with the neighbourhood. These public artworks and the community garden are significant milestones that support those principles. We're very proud of them, and I would like to thank each of the artists, as well as AU/LAB, for their exceptional contribution to this vision, which is taking shape and will stand the test of time."
—Laurence Vincent, President, Prével.
"The community garden project is a concrete example of how valuable it is to consult with the community at the outset of a project. Those consultations allowed us to measure food insecurity in the Centre–Sud neighbourhood. Our partnership with AU/LAB enabled us to create a 12,000–square–foot community garden on the roof of a private building for residents on the Ville–Marie borough's community–garden list. We're proud of this innovative project, which encourages social mix while addressing a real issue in the neighbourhood."
—David Deschênes, Senior Director, Prével.
"The Esplanade Cartier project is a prime example of the kind of development Montréal needs. It is responsible and inclusive, shaped by the real needs of its people. By weaving together public art, urban agriculture, and welcoming community spaces, Prével shows that it's possible to build differently, by putting citizens at the centre of every decision. Partnerships like this one, between the private and public sectors, are vital if we're to tackle the social, environmental, and cultural challenges facing our neighbourhoods."
—Robert Beaudry, City Councillor for the Ville-Marie borough and member of Montréal's Executive Committee.
"I'm proud that Prével reached out to MU to complete the Esplanade Cartier project. Integrating public artworks into quality architecture speaks to a truly innovative vision of cultural planning. I hope this initiative will inspire other real–estate developers to think about beauty and to situate their projects within the concept of a relational city, where human connections, social interaction and living together are at the heart of urban development."
—Élizabeth–Ann Doyle, Executive and Artistic Director of MU.
"To bring such a work to life, Prével put in place a rigorous process inspired by public–art best practices. By opening the competition to all visual artists in Québec, entrusting the selection to an independent and diverse jury and providing compensation to the finalists, Prével demonstrates in remarkable fashion that a private company can adopt exemplary practices. This approach deserves to be applauded and stands as an inspiring model for commissioning art."
—Véronique Rioux, Industrial Design Consultant and coordinator of the competition to integrate a permanent glass screen–printing into the Esplanade Cartier project.
The Esplanade Cartier project
Esplanade Cartier stands as a flagship development by Prével, designed to foster a vibrant community through its commitment to active transportation, public transit, and green spaces. This innovative project encourages social interaction among residents, workers, and visitors, offering a dynamic public square and a diverse mix of local shops, offices, restaurants, and terraces. It also integrates urban agriculture and supports community initiatives, including the YWCA. It will also introduce a Project House, marking a first in Québec's private sector. An expansive park will provide recreational opportunities and connect to a revitalized five-kilometre stretch along the St. Lawrence River to the south and the future park beneath the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
About Prével
Founded in 1978, Prével is recognized for its expertise in real estate development, primarily carrying out large-scale mixed projects in central neighbourhoods of Greater Montréal. Prével's mission is to create enjoyable living environments that contribute positively to their community. Advocating for homeownership, sustainable development, urban agriculture and active transportation, local commerce, innovation, and urban living, the developer has also committed to revitalizing several neighbourhoods while creating unique, open, and inclusive environments. Through collaborative work with various communities, Prével has carried out numerous projects that have positively impacted the city's development and built heritage.
SOURCE Prével