Products Used

• Natural Stone Pavers

Stones

• KODIAK BROWN™

• TITANIUM PEARL™

• BETHEL WHITE™

• STANSTEAD GREY™

• CALEDONIA™

Project Overview

Completed in October 2023, Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville represents an $18.5 million transformation of Quebec City’s most significant institutional public space. Designed by Stantec and Lemay for the City of Quebec, the project expanded the historic square from 1,245 square meters to 4,400 square meters while preserving five mature elm trees and honoring more than 375 years of civic history.

Located within Old Quebec’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the square occupies a pivotal position between City Hall and the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral Basilica. In continuous use as a gathering place since 1647, the site had gradually evolved into a traffic circle dominated by vehicles. The redevelopment reclaims the square as a pedestrian-priority civic space capable of supporting more than 100 days of annual programming, including seasonal markets, religious ceremonies, public celebrations, and daily urban life.

Across approximately 4,400 square meters of hardscape, the design team employed a coordinated strategy using five Polycor granites — Caledonia™, Titanium Pearl™, Kodiak Brown™, Bethel White™, and Stanstead Grey™. With the exception of Bethel White™, the materials were sourced from Quebec quarries. The granite selection responds simultaneously to the site’s UNESCO heritage context, Quebec City’s extreme climate, and the functional demands of a high-intensity civic square.

Material Strategy and Spatial Organization

Rather than treating the square as a uniform surface, the design uses granite as a spatial framework. Variation in tone, texture, and application defines movement, gathering, and edges without introducing physical barriers that would compromise the square’s openness or heritage character.

Caledonia™ granite forms the primary paving field in a 4″x4″ format. Its dark background with taupe and grey flecking establishes continuity across the expanded square while remaining visually restrained in relation to the surrounding cathedral and civic architecture.

Titanium Pearl™ granite, also in 4″x4″ pavers, introduces lighter silvery-grey tones and subtle crystalline variation. Used selectively, it contributes brightness and visual relief across the square’s increased footprint, supporting legibility and wayfinding without fragmenting the surface.

Kodiak Brown™ granite appears as both accent pavers and perimeter curbing. Its warmer coloration introduces rhythm within the paving field while clearly delineating planting areas, circulation paths, and edges. The curbing defines space functionally while maintaining a continuous, facade-to-facade public realm.

Stanstead Grey™ granite is used for steps and secondary paving areas where grade transitions require consistent tone and dependable slip resistance. Its quiet, medium-grey character supports accessibility and movement while remaining subordinate to primary civic elements and monuments.

Signature Elements: Bethel White Benches and Tree Preservation

The project’s most distinctive visible elements are the custom-carved cylindrical benches fabricated from Bethel White granite. The bright white stone, with subtle brown-grey speckling, creates immediate points of orientation and gathering within the darker paving palette. The cylindrical form reinforces their role as spatial markers rather than conventional furniture.

Fabricated as monolithic elements, the benches provide durable, year-round seating without reliance on multiple materials, joinery, or seasonal maintenance. Their sculptural presence introduces visual punctuation within the square while remaining legible and accessible year-round.

Equally defining, though largely invisible, is the project’s approach to preserving five mature elm trees while expanding the usable public realm. To protect root systems, portions of the square were elevated on a structural system, allowing granite paving to extend without compromising tree health. Permeable joints within the stone surface enable rainwater infiltration, supporting long-term canopy preservation while accommodating intensive public use.

Technical Performance and Climate Context

Quebec City’s climate places exceptional demands on civic hardscape. Temperature fluctuations from approximately -30°C in winter to +30°C in summer generate repeated freeze-thaw cycles, while winter operations require snow removal and de-icing practices that quickly degrade more porous materials.

The selected granites share performance characteristics critical to long-term durability: low absorption rates, high compressive strength, and proven resistance to thermal cycling. Granite’s natural crystalline structure, combined with textured finishes, provides reliable slip resistance in wet, icy, and snow-covered conditions, supporting universal accessibility across the square.

The 4″x4″ paver format balances human scale with structural performance. The size accommodates complex geometries around preserved trees and existing monuments, including the restored Taschereau monument, while distributing loads from event infrastructure, maintenance vehicles, and seasonal installations. The substantial thickness resists cracking and surface loss common in composite materials and treated concrete exposed to heavy winter operations.

Context, Recognition, and Outcomes

The redevelopment preserves the square’s historic compositional axes established in the early 19th century while addressing contemporary requirements for accessibility, active mobility, climate adaptation, and year-round programming. Adjacent streets were reconfigured as shared spaces, sidewalks widened, and pedestrian movement prioritized while maintaining necessary vehicular access. Lighting design by Guy Simard emphasizes heritage elements, preserved trees, and key monuments, reinforcing the square’s role as a civic stage and place of collective memory.

The project has received significant professional recognition for its sensitive integration of contemporary design within a protected historic environment, including:

• CSLA Awards of Excellence 2025 – Gold Certification, Landscape Architecture – Public Space
• CSLA Awards of Excellence 2025 – Gold Certification, Civic Design Project
• LOOP Design Awards 2025 – Landscape | Public Space
• INT Design (17th Edition) – Gold Certification, Landscape Architecture – Public Space
• INT Design (17th Edition) – Gold Certification, Urban Design – Civic Design Project

Award juries cited the project’s ability to preserve structural and forest heritage while creating a public space that is distinctive yet appropriately subordinate to its UNESCO context.

With the single exception of Bethel White™, the exclusive use of Quebec-sourced granites celebrates regional geological heritage while reducing transportation impacts and supporting the local stone industry. Natural stone’s multi-generational service life further advances sustainability objectives by eliminating frequent replacement cycles and reducing long-term environmental impact.

Since opening, Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville has re-established itself as a central civic destination within Old Quebec. The granite hardscape provides a durable and dignified framework for daily pedestrian use, formal ceremonies, and high-intensity seasonal events, while remaining visually restrained within a UNESCO World Heritage setting.

Conclusion

Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville demonstrates how disciplined material strategy can support contemporary civic life within a deeply historic context. The coordinated application of five granites—Caledonia, Titanium Pearl, Kodiak Brown, Bethel White, and Stanstead Grey—creates a unified framework that balances permanence, accessibility, and adaptability.

For heritage projects that require climate resilience, universal access, and long-term performance within protected districts, the project demonstrates the enduring value of natural stone. Here, granite serves not as surface treatment but as civic infrastructure—supporting daily use, seasonal programming, and the continuity of a public space that has shaped Quebec City for centuries.

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Project Specifications:

• Project Name: Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville Location: Old Quebec (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada 
• Project Type: Public square redevelopment within historic district 
• Size: 4,400 square meters (expanded from 1,245 square meters) 
• Budget: $18.5 million ($11.5M provincial grant + $7M City of Quebec) 
• Completion: October 2023 Construction Period: 2018-2023
• Client: City of Quebec (Ville de Québec) 
• Landscape Architecture: Stantec, Groupe Lemay 
• Engineering: SGTR Lighting Design: Guy Simard Additional 
• Consultants: Morelli Designers

Stone Specifications:

• Primary Paving: Material: Caledonia™ granite Format: 4″x4″ pavers Characteristics: Dark background with taupe and grey flecks Origin: Quebec, Canada
• Secondary Paving: Material: Titanium Pearl™ granite Format: 4″x4″ pavers
  Characteristics: Silvery-grey with crystalline structure Origin: Quebec, Canada
• Accent Paving & Curbs: Material: Kodiak Brown™ granite Format: 4″x4″ pavers and curbs Characteristics: Chocolate tones with pale flakes Origin: Quebec, Canada
• Seating Elements: Material: Bethel White™ granite Format: Custom-carved cylindrical benches Characteristics: Bright white with brown-grey speckling Origin: Vermont, USA
• Steps and Pavers (Secondary Elevation): Material: Stanstead Grey™ granite Format: Steps and pavers Characteristics: Medium grey, consistent tone Origin: Quebec, Canada
• Stone Supplier: Polycor 
• Total Hardscape Area: Approximately 4,400 square meters
• Heritage Context: Site in continuous use as gathering place since 1647; last major renovation prior to this project was 1984

Special Features:

• Five preserved mature elm trees with innovative root protection system
• Restored Taschereau monument (Canada’s first cardinal)
• Permeable paving joints for rainwater infiltration
• Heritage lighting design by Guy Simard
• Universal accessibility from multiple entrances

Awards:

• CSLA Awards of Excellence 2025: Gold Certification (Landscape Architecture – Public Space)
• CSLA Awards of Excellence 2025: Gold Certification (Civic Design Project)
• LOOP Design Awards 2025: Landscape | Public Space
• INT Design 17th Edition: Gold Certification (Landscape Architecture – Public Space)
• INT Design 17th Edition: Gold Certification (Urban Design – Civic Design Project)

Sources: City of Quebec, Stantec, Lemay, Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, LOOP Design Awards, INT Design