Beaupré et Michaud Architects completes renovation of Montreal’s Carmelite Chapel

Montreal’s Carmelite Chapel was built in 1875 with its solemn architecture reflecting the medieval roots of the Carmel tradition. The renovation work majorly involved lighting scheme.

Beaupré et Michaud Architects paid a special attention to the chapel’s lighting scheme because of the amount of time devoted by Carmelites to silence and prayer. The lighting scheme had to allow for different atmospheres that would lend themselves to reading or meditation, while also adapting to occasional celebrations. The brief also required easy control of lighting systems.

The lighting design expresses the architecture’s quality and volume by emphasising its verticality and creating a consistent luminous flux on the ceiling. The illuminated columns provide a deliberate contrast that highlights the ornamentation from the base of the arch and tapers off as it climbs. The altar and the tabernacle are at the centre of the perspective.

The top of the columns features functional lighting, where two 3000K LED projectors are installed with a fixture on each side of the nave and choir. Some of the sources are directed at the pulpit, the lectern and the altar. The altar features cross-lateral beams for better task lighting levels. Volume lighting also comes from the top of the columns, where 3000K linear projectors cross the nave while giving the ceiling presence in a uniform manner, highlighting its patterns. The lighting from the base of the columns accents the sculpted elements, refining the column and its verticality.

The windows, false windows and stained glass are illuminated with 4000K linear projectors, outlining the frames and enhancing their visual element with the nave. On the altar, two 3000K linear projectors are tilted upwards grazing the wall, which makes the canopy stand out. The canopy is outfitted with 2700K linear projectors that backlight the ornamental spikes and accentuate the “Virgin and Child” on top of the altar.

Two projectors on the choir accent the tabernacle with a soft 2700K glow, while two 3000K linear projectors illuminate the two chapels’ transepts. A 4000K LED strip outlines the effigy of Sainte-Thérèse-de-l’enfant-Jésus while the gallery’s ceiling is recessed with 3000K LEDs to provide general lighting.