Popular Lac Mgantic caf to be rebuilt using adaptable light steel

The first steel beams were installed this week in the $1.6 million reconstruction project of Lac-Mégantic’s Musi-Café in the downtown core. In memory of the victims of the July 2013 train derailment in the small Quebec town, those present had the opportunity to write a personal message on one of the new building’s beams, which will be installed at the end of the project.

Musi-Café will be rebuilt into a 6,000-sq.-ft., two-storey building at the corner of Papineau and Komery streets. It will feature a high-quality kitchen, 150 seats inside and two patios: a 70seat main patio overlooking the Chaudière River and another with 35 to 40 seats facing the downtown. A section of the bar’s interior will be decorated in the style of the original Musi-Café and a microbrewery will later be added to the building.

Bone Structure, a firm known for its green and energy-efficient building methods, is rebuilding Musi-Café using a light steel structure. This will enable the building to be highly adaptable, allowing interior walls to be moved and for the addition of openings, doors and windows without affecting structural integrity. These buildings can also be erected easily and quickly without generating construction waste onsite.

Musi-Café owner Yannick Gagné hopes to welcome his first customers in August or September.