en.Wedoany.com Reported - Pivot, the first architecture cooperative in Quebec, Canada, was founded in Montreal in 2017. The firm adopts a flat self-management model aimed at rebalancing industry roles and improving working conditions in the architectural field. Co-founder Suzanne Laure Doucet stated that this model stems from the determination of eight architects to challenge industry habits and methods.
Nearly a decade after its founding, despite funding shortages, Pivot remains committed to addressing Montreal's affordable housing shortage. The studio currently has 320 community housing units on its drawing boards awaiting funding. These projects are located on identified sites and are managed by local groups that understand the needs and are prepared to oversee them. Pivot Coopérative d'Architecture focuses on cooperative housing and transitional housing, while also renovating historic buildings and designing diverse building types such as microbreweries and co-working spaces.
Cooperative members include Doucet, André Papineau, Egest Gjinali, Colleen Lashuk, Jean-Christophe Leblond, Juliette Lafleur-Loughrey, Khalil Diop, and others. Pivot operates on principles of self-management and a flat structure, using a consensus-based decision-making process that functions without a board of directors. Each member participates in essential tasks through customized committees, while a self-management committee ensures internal governance adapts to the cooperative's needs.
Establishing an architecture cooperative studio presents challenges. Pivot had to demonstrate to the Quebec Order of Architects (OAQ) that the cooperative model poses no risk to the public. The co-founders held exploratory meetings for about a year to discuss democratic and transparent management strategies and attended cooperative training courses to refine a business model supporting the ownership system. During this period, they also explored stereotypes in architecture, a lack of diversity, and personal career experiences.
Becoming a formal worker-member of Pivot takes approximately two years and requires a fully refundable membership fee of $500. All worker-members have equal voting rights, regardless of their job titles. Unlike traditional architecture firms, project selection in the cooperative is conducted through collaborative discussions, where non-signing members can influence collective decisions based on their interests and expertise. Transparency is fundamental to operations, and during the 2023 salary structure review, in-depth discussions were held on long-term vision and strategic issues.
The firm's landmark project, Coop Milieu de l'Île, a housing cooperative in Montreal, received the QOA Award of Excellence in Architecture in 2025. All stakeholders in this intergenerational housing complex are non-profit or community-based. Maison Amaryllis is a residential building in Montreal designed for people living with HIV/AIDS, aiming to address the multiple needs of aging seniors and combat social isolation. The project is a three-story building with units featuring large windows overlooking a nearby park and the Jacques Cartier Bridge. The facade uses three main expressions: red brick, beige brick, and metal, with some exterior walls left blank for film screenings.
Pivot also completed new transitional housing for the Montreal non-profit Plein Milieu to accommodate people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The project renovated an existing building, and the organization uses a compassionate, harm-reduction, and personalized support approach to help young people and adults who use drugs and are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Additionally, in 2023, Pivot moved into a former textile manufacturing building (Local 1001) and designed its own office at 5333 Casgrain Avenue. The floor plan achieves maximum flexibility, dividing different areas for meetings, relaxation, interaction, and work. Desks offer outdoor views, and meeting rooms are hidden behind polycarbonate walls to utilize natural light.
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