Portage Project

Project completed as part of the Rayside Labossière team

Portage has existed since 1973. Its mission is to help adolescents struggling with addiction regain a sober, stable and dignified life.

Its centre in the Laurentians had already welcomed residents for many years, but demand had grown further. More room was needed: dormitories, bathrooms, shared spaces and a classroom.

The site had seen several additions over the years, and the overall result was far from uniform. The challenge was not simply to add more space, but to do so without increasing the disorder. We reused the colours, materials and roof pitch of the existing pavilions to anchor the new wing within the whole. Only the connection between the old and the new was given a contemporary treatment — like a link between them.