"An allegory of the architectural and urban historical heritage could be represented by a labyrinth that hides the captivating surface of a mirror. But the heritage and the conservative conducts which form its procession are readable, them also, as an allegory of the man in the media era uncertain of the direction where the knowledge and the technique direct it, in search of a way where they can set it free from time and memory so as to better let him commit to it."
- Françoise Choay
A MAJOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK
The architectural and urban intervention of the project is based on our first will to reveal the historical strata materialized by the vestiges and certain existing buildings to be preserved or rebuilt. It is then of primary importance to take them in charge, such as they are, in a coherent and global design. Everything that is part of our collective memory - distant or close, banal or exceptional - deserves to be considered.
Rénovation urbis becomes, through our approach, mainly a social construction of meaning in the city Against a new district to be revitalized in which the fortifications and the Arsenal are part, the project of the Îlot des Palais installs the link between the bottom and the top of the cliff.
CONSERVATION AND RECONSTRUCTION
In a spirit of conservation, sustainable development, economy and construction time, we favour the conservation of the old cold storage building dating from 1900. Currently under-occupied by barracks no. 2, this building offers, by its simplicity and its large dimensions, great spatial qualities for the temporary exhibition room. Some temporary mechanisms will have to be provided for the 2008 occupation. A special treatment of the facades will be provided.
We propose the reconstruction of the second Intendant's Palace, as designed by the King's engineer, Chaussegros de Léry, in his second version in 1722. This faithful reconstruction would in itself be a major event during a large school building site directed by the traditional trades associated with the Compagnonnage.
MOVEMENT AND SPATIALITY
The spatial movement, based on the theme of discovery, is intended to be diverse, permissive and multiple.
At the urban level, this mobility of passers-by and visitors is conditioned by a series of urban and architectural devices:
At the corner of Allée des Prairies and Saint-Nicolas Street, a hall is installed on an urban scale, with sculptures, steps, stone walls and metal frameworks preserved from the demolition of part of Barracks No. 2. Open to Charest Boulevard and the Gare du Palais, it constitutes one of the main points of entry to the project. To the south, the landscaping of the Passage Sous-le-Coteau stages an open-air museum space. Showcases and visual openings on the exterior and interior vestiges qualify this route. A high footbridge links the Côte de la Potasse to the site, offering the visitor a bird's eye view of the exterior remains, while allowing him to access the central alley from a sculptural staircase.
At the architectural level, the whole movement of people converges through the Gallery, which puts in contact the different uses of the Jean Talon Pavilion. From the access of Saint Nicolas Street, place of the entrance of the former Boswell brewery, a sudden dilation of the visual field opens on the outside towards the Court of Honor and, inside, towards the remains below. This space remains open and accessible at all times and can be occupied independently of the museum. It is animated by the activities of the restaurant, the café, the stores, the public exhibitions and others.
The multimedia room, like an opaque and precious volume, is open to the view of passers-by. The entrance to the archaeological museum is from both the Cour d'Honneur and the Gallery. The access from the Courtyard is particularly emphasized by a tower of frosted glass evoking the historical origin of the place. From this hall, generous views are possible towards the remains as well as towards the fortifications and the Court. From this location, one discovers the essence of the project, that is, the "suspension" of the precious volume of the hall and the "detachment" of the large glass wall to the south, clearing the passage of Saint-Vallier Street, which becomes the place of the "ceremonial" route of visitors to the remains.
ARCHITECTURAL PRESENCE
On the scale of the city, like a lantern, the Jean Talon Pavilion is qualified by an envelope with variable emissivity. From the Cour d'honneur, the presence of the cliff surmounted by the wall of fortifications remains the visual limit. It is constantly perceptible through the transparency of the Jean Talon Pavilion. Its "dematerialization" towards the west accentuates this effect while setting up a scenographic support for sound and light events.
Seen from the top of the fortifications, the intervention offers a unitary image. A unifying roof, taking up the profile of the House of Fraser, caps the entire Jean Talon Pavilion. Its materiality changes according to the needs and uses; either in zinc, glass or simply with its exposed framework, it modulates this linear volume.
Thus, from the architecture will emerge a true meeting between the memory of our past and the serene confidence in the future.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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