The Mother-Child and Emergency Centre at Hôpital Fleurimont showcased for its architectural quality in the AAPPQ’s annual publication
The Mother-Child and Emergency Centre at Hôpital Fleurimont in Sherbrooke, designed in consortium with Yelle Maillé and Équipe A, is among the 25 projects selected for the 2026 edition of Panorama, the annual magazine of the Association des Architectes en pratique privée du Québec (AAPPQ).
Each year, the AAPPQ presents a selection of projects by its members, chosen for their exemplary value. This year’s featured projects demonstrate the importance of investing in architectural quality, in both the public and private sectors.
The Art of Design
This new edition highlights the expertise of architects who design innovative projects that respond to everyday needs as well as to the challenges facing society today and in the future. Opening with the editorial “The Art of Design, a Complex Exercise,” it places the practice in a demanding context marked by a slowdown in infrastructure projects, a worsening housing crisis, inflation and an asset maintenance deficit larger than ever.
While the desire to rationalize costs is legitimate, the editorial argues that it must not come at the expense of the quality and durability of infrastructure. It also cautions against the appeal of standardizing and duplicating projects. At the intersection of art and applied science, architecture relies on a comprehensive vision that is best brought to bear at the very start of a project, once the constraints and key parameters are known. This message resonates strongly with the Mother-Child and Emergency Centre at Hôpital Fleurimont. The editorial notes that the architecture of hospitals and specialized care facilities has a direct impact on patients’ psychological well-being and recovery. It also points out that a project tailored to its context and its users is a lasting investment whose benefits extend to the entire community.
Mother-Child and Emergency Centre at Hôpital Fleurimont
The mother-child centre and emergency services at Hôpital Fleurimont are part of a broader reflection on the evolution of care environments and on the role of architecture as a catalyst between clinical requirements and the human experience. The result of close collaboration between medical teams, designers and patient partners, the pavilion offers sensitive, sustainable environments tailored to real needs.
Warm by Nature
The 34,500 m² expansion brings together the CHU de Sherbrooke’s emergency, maternity, neonatology, pediatric and child psychiatry services in a cohesive whole, designed to ensure continuity along care pathways. Every architectural choice aims to create a functional, bright and calming environment, where spatial clarity supports clinical efficiency as much as emotional comfort. Particular attention is paid to well-being and a sense of security, with warm, welcoming spaces for mothers and their newborns, and playful, reassuring areas for children.
Care and Compassion
Extending the existing hospital, the pavilion blends harmoniously into its surroundings, respecting the built context while asserting a contemporary architectural expression. Its vocabulary echoes the materiality of neighbouring buildings, while reflective surfaces capture the shifting reflections of the natural landscape. The new entrance hall unfolds over several levels, opening up sweeping views to the upper floors. A ribbon of wood, like a protective bark, rises through the storeys, introducing a material as warm as it is unexpected in a hospital setting. This signature gesture creates a subtle dialogue between nature and care, opacity and transparency, body and place.
Client
Projet Manager: Société québécoise des infrastructures
Owner: Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Estrie – Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (Santé Québec Estrie – CHUS)
Key professional team
Architecture: Jodoin Lamarre Pratte + Yelle Maillé + Équipe A architectes in consortium
Landscape Architecture: BC2
Engineering: SDK et associés, CIMA+, BPA
On-site materials testing laboratory: Englobe
Contractor: Groupe TEQ
Signage: Bélanger Branding Design
Photos: Adrien Williams