In 2013, the Real Estate investment and development firm TGTA launched a large-scale project to requalify a property located in the heart of an area undergoing a major redevelopment. The former premises of Main Knitting, situated at the corner of Saint-Urbain and Saint-Zotique streets in Montreal, were transformed into workspaces gathering companies working in cutting-edge technology markets. The O Mile-Ex complex, consisting of two five-floor buildings, is home to several high-tech companies operating in the field of artificial intelligence. The project was ambitious and facing multiple challenges such as contamination, structure, energy performance and code compliance.

Thanks to a solid business plan and serious investors, the project started without prior signed lease agreements. As a result, cost control became the number 1 priority for TGTA. This cost control began at the very beginning of the project design: every component of the project—regarding architecture, mechanical and electrical had to be carefully planned to allow great flexibility of the workspaces.