In the heart of Montreal’s Mile-Ex district, a century-old ammunition factory has been transformed into one of the city’s most compelling cultural destinations. FOIL Gallery, designed by award-winning Atelier L’Abri, stands as a masterclass in adaptive reuse, weaving together industrial heritage, contemporary art, and sensory experience within a singular architectural intervention.
Atelier L’Abri received the 2025 Emerging Architecture Prize from the Quebec Order of Architects, alongside 2024 awards for Small Firm of the Year at the Architecture Master Prize and Best Young Firm at the A+Awards. The Montreal-based practice specializes in ecological, healthy, and sustainable construction, advocating for architecture solutions that prioritize wellness and the human character of environments.
A Space Born from Artistic Vision
Founded by digital artist Fvckrender (Frédéric Duquette) and Baeige (Jo-Anie Charland), FOIL, an acronym for Finer Objects in Life, operates as a hybrid destination combining an art gallery with a neighbourhood café. The 350-square-metre space occupies two formerly vacant suites within a building constructed in the 1910s, originally operated by Canadian Explosives Limited (CXL) as an ammunition factory during the First World War.
The site carries significant historical weight. During the Second World War, the factory witnessed the vital contributions of working-class women to the war effort. For years, the building faced demolition threats under development pressure before its recent revitalization began with new businesses arriving along Waverly Street’s distinctive row of industrial suites.
Revealing the Raw Character
Atelier L’Abri’s architectural intervention demonstrates a sensitive reading of the existing structure. The design philosophy centres on revealing rather than concealing, adapting rather than replacing.
The building’s most spectacular feature, a sawtooth roof supported by large clerestory timber trusses, had long been obscured. The team carefully sandblasted wood plank ceilings, massive timber trusses, and concrete beams and columns to recover their natural tones and century-old textures. The concrete slab floor was cleaned and sealed, preserving layered traces of over a hundred years of industrial use.
New skylights cut into the roof reactivate the spatial potential of the sawtooth volume, flooding the interior with natural light that shifts throughout the day. This intervention transforms what was once a dark, neglected factory into a luminous gallery space where historical materiality and contemporary function coexist.
Metal Cube: Organizing Public and Private
At the core of the space, an abstract metal cube, brushed by hand, serves as the organizational heart of the gallery. This sculptural insertion houses private functions including a meeting room and workspace while defining the public circulation without interrupting the legibility of the existing structure.
White-painted peripheral acoustic walls provide flexible exhibition surfaces, creating sharp contrast against the preserved textures of floor and ceiling. This material dialogue between raw industrial heritage and refined contemporary intervention defines the gallery’s visual identity.
The meeting room features a large table by local woodworker Essai Mobilier paired with Danish Vipp chairs, articulating an aesthetic that bridges Montreal craft traditions with timeless Scandinavian design references.
The Café: Raw Meets Refined
At the front of the reconverted space, a luminous café opens onto Parc des Gorilles through a large glass garage door. The curved counter, finished in artisanal microcement by Enduit Déco, features soft minimalist lines that complement the material language throughout.
INSPIRING PROJECTS FROM CANADA
Custom furniture produced by Montreal designer Raymond Raymond adds warm, sober functionalism that counterpoints the rigour of the existing structure. Locally roasted coffee by ZAB Café and pastries by Mélilot complete the hospitality offering.
A Multisensory Art Experience
FOIL transcends conventional gallery programming through its commitment to multisensory experience. The inaugural exhibition showcases works by founding artists Fvckrender and Baeige alongside contemporary creators including J3000, Vincent Tsang, Andrea Wilkin, Victor Mosquera, and Zoë Winters.
A restored 1970 Porsche Targa positioned at the centre of the space acts as sculptural centerpiece, blurring boundaries between art, design, culture, and history. The sensory dimension extends further: a soundscape by Olivier Lamontagne (The Holy) and a custom fragrance by New York perfumery D.S. & Durga create an immersive atmosphere that engages visitors beyond the visual.
At the rear, a closed projection room offers intimate settings for audiovisual works and immersive events, expanding the gallery’s programming capabilities.
Urban Regeneration and Community Connection
FOIL’s location directly connects to Parc des Gorilles, inaugurated in 2024. This public park emerged from grassroots community efforts to preserve urban wasteland along the diagonal path once carved by Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. The city reclaimed the area, reintroducing green space into the urban fabric.
The gallery contributes to this broader transformation, exemplifying how reimagining built heritage can drive creativity, preservation, and social connection. Monthly events like AM:PLIFIED, featuring DJ sets with croissants, position FOIL as a gathering space that extends beyond traditional gallery functions.
Discover more in our gallery:
Project Credits
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Area: 350 m²
Client: Fvckrender, Baeige
Architecture: Atelier L’Abri
Team: Jade Lachapelle, Keyan Ye, Pia Hocheneder, Stefania Praf, Nicolas Lapierre, Francis Martel-Labrecque
Contractor: Construction Modulor
Completion: 2025
Photography: Alex Lesage
Collaborators: Enduit Déco (microcement), Atomic Soudure (metalwork), Vipp, Raymond Raymond, Essai Mobilier (furniture), Sistemalux, EDP (lighting), La Tuilerie, Sanital (ceramic and plumbing), Dörr (hardware), Store Urbain (curtain)
For more of latest L’Abri Atelier projects visit their official page: labri.ca.
