We are proud to announce that the UTILE Student Housing Project in Rimouski has been named a finalist at the FIDIC Global Infrastructure Awards 2026, an international recognition that celebrates some of the most outstanding engineering achievements from around the world. The project has been shortlisted in the Small to Medium Project category.
This nomination highlights the excellence of a project designed to address a critical social challenge: access to affordable student housing. In a context marked by an extremely low vacancy rate, the project delivered 155 student housing units near the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), helping improve access to higher education while supporting the region’s attractiveness and development.
Developed through a collaborative approach inspired by the Integrated Project Delivery model, the project stands out for its innovative use of modular construction. This method significantly accelerated project delivery while maintaining high construction quality and efficient resource utilization. gbi provided multidisciplinary engineering services, coordinating structural, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering disciplines to help bring the project to completion within an ambitious schedule.
Beyond its technical achievements, the project generates lasting benefits for the community. The residences provide a living environment tailored to students’ needs, foster inclusion and social connection, and help alleviate pressure on the local rental market. The project also demonstrates the potential of modular construction as a practical solution to housing affordability and accessibility challenges faced by communities across Québec and Canada.
This international recognition also reflects the strength of the collaboration among all project partners. gbi would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of UTILE, Industries Bonneville, HUDL, and Blouin Beauchamp Architectes, whose expertise and commitment helped transform an ambitious vision into a project that delivers meaningful benefits for the Rimouski student community.
Congratulations to all finalist organizations and teams whose expertise continues to shape sustainable, innovative, and impactful infrastructure around the world.
The winners will be announced during the FIDIC Global Infrastructure Awards Gala, which will take place on September 15, 2026, in New Delhi, India.
