The Laferté Bicycles building project is part of the ongoing growth of this company specializing in bicycle sales and maintenance. The new 14,500 sq. ft. building will house a modern showroom, a repair shop, office space and a large warehouse. The building’s design features an innovative structure, combining glulam for the offices and showroom, with conventional light timber framing for the workshop and warehouse, while adapting to the specific features of the District 55 site.

Artelia was commissioned to carry out a comparative cost study between steel and timber framing, before opting for a glulam solution. Our teams designed the foundations and timber structure, coordinating closely with the manufacturer and architect using REVIT software. Despite the challenges posed by the low bearing capacity of the soil, innovative solutions, such as preloading backfill, were implemented to enable the use of conventional foundations and thus save money compared to deep pile foundations.