1. Postulates and conceptual characters
The first mental image that formed on our retina when we were thinking about the planetarium project was that of a nomadic character from the north who, protected by a performing suit of skins and furs, walks slowly through the snow. When evening comes, he stops to rest from his long walk. The vision that he has of the sky is incomparable. No light pollution or even the few flames of his campfire hinder this privileged vision of the universe. The aurora borealis, the Milky Way, the stars and the planets are offered to him in all their splendor. His vision of the universe is limited only by his own eyesight, by the physical capacities of his own eyes.
At his side, the character in full dress, the man from the city, remains blind. He survives in a white light that blocks his access to this clear vision of the universe, which in turn little impregnates his daily life. The electric and luminous landscape formed by the office towers and the amalgam of residential and commercial districts causes light pollution, a form of white blindness.
The second image to form in our minds is that of this anonymous astronaut, separated from the void by his formidable spacesuit and floating at the end of a technical umbilical cord that attaches him to his work station. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin, by becoming the first man to travel in space, inaugurated a new privileged vision of the universe. For the first time, the earth and the universe are seen by a human from a position other than terrestrial. The Apollo missions of which Neil Armstrong remains the main heroic figure and the first photographic images of the earth seem to mark deeply the human sensibility: "It was so far, a small ball in the darkness of space. It does something to your soul. (...) We all came back philanthropic. (...) We saw how fragile our planet was, and yet how beautiful. We understood that we had to learn to work together, to love each other" (James B. Irwin, Apollo astronaut). By its small size, its bluish appearance on a pearly background and its fragility, it also imposes respect.
Hundreds of kilometers above the nomadic man, a very limited number of individuals have however access to the clarity of this vision. Although today, within the media civilization, the images of the earth and the universe multiply rapidly, it does not remain less than at the sides of the astronaut, the man of the city always remains blind. He is drowned in this multitude of images that neutralize each other and dissipate the effect of direct experience on his sensitivity.
The third mental image that presents itself to us is rather vague and difficult to grasp. It is in fact an atmosphere of the past, an explosion of effervescence so strong that fragments of it still hover over the city. We find ourselves on July 17, 1976, as the Games of the XXI Olympiad open in Montreal. In this gigantic white universe, turned towards the future, the Olympic dream becomes a reality. Mayor Drapeau received a huge ovation from the crowd and, a few days later, Nadia Comaneci dazzled a whole people by obtaining a first perfect score in history on the uneven bars. On the Olympic podium dance the multiple colors of flags, sports uniforms of amateur athletes and thousands of spectators. Determination triumphs, the ideal is realized, perfection is momentarily achieved.
The conceptual characters of the nomad, Jean Drapeau, Nadia Comaneci and Yuri Gagarin, each in their own way, mark with their deep symbolic presence the poetic imagination of the project and guide the development of this dialogue, of this new planetarium, in an urban environment and, above all, inserted in the Olympic podium.
To these conceptual characters from our personal mythology surrounding the reflection on the planetarium project is added the very real one of the astronomer. In addition to the clichés surrounding his aura as a scientist, the astronomer, with both feet firmly planted on the ground, seems to have understood that what is incomprehensible is that the world is (at times) comprehensible (Einstein), that it is a matter of perspective and relationships.
2. Formal positions and organization of space
The project is first inspired by the contextual data of the site. Through the complex network of axes composing the structures in place, the planetarium is inserted in tone on tone in the white universe of the Olympic installations. Only instead of being opaque and matte like the concrete that forms the stadium and the old velodrome, the planetarium is, by contrast, slightly translucent and milky; it allows color to invade and tint it from within; it multiplies polished and reflective surfaces such as opalescent glass, stainless steel, white glossy aluminum, white perforated aluminum panel and ceramified glass. The latter also reduces interior overheating by acting as multiple micro sunshades. The building envelope thus acquires a symbolic and technological function similar to the clothes of Yuri, the nomad and Nadia. While provoking a light and delicate contrast, the building envelope pursues the idea of white blindness and luminous city. It is only once inside these volumes that the building's volumetry, the articulation of the spaces and the Theatres of the Stars - planned to be covered with frosted and perforated brass-colored aluminum - will begin to offer a clear vision of the museum's purpose.
At night, the perforated wall also acts as a filter against light pollution. It contains some of the interior light, allowing small fragments of it to flow through, thus slightly vibrating the forms of the building. Although the building cannot eliminate light pollution and reach the dark sky of the nomad, it tries to contribute to it as little as possible, especially since the project offers various observation spaces to visitors, friends of the planetarium and scientists: the observation courtyard offers, beyond the biodome, a southern horizon, while the terrace on the 200 level offers a beautiful eastern horizon and the roof offers a 360 degree horizon. To achieve this, the project proposes to place between the perforated musical wall of the building and the waterproof wall, an LED lighting that can go from milky white to light red in order to transform the building into an urban observation site, a real outdoor photo laboratory in the middle of the city.
Inspired by the current climatic upheavals and the melting of the glaciers in the Arctic, the building is presented as a large rectangular volume, tormented and cracked, which slowly sinks on the side of the Olympic stadium while rising on the other in a precarious balance. From this volume, a part that we call the lantern-iceberg is already detached and drifting. This formal position allows both to maintain the views and perspectives on the stadium's mast while maintaining a dialogue with it by offering an object fleeing in the opposite direction. The torments imposed on this form will have made it possible to release key elements and spaces such as an important green terrace, drowned in this white universe, a glass roof offering a squared surface of sky, an external space in tiers as well as this large lantern-iceberg floating on a thin film of water of irregular form whose base is pearly. These last two elements serve to flood the spaces below ground level with daylight. From the outside, one cannot formally distinguish the theaters of the stars. Only their shadows projected on the envelope according to the interior light reflected on the brass and certain targeted openings reveal their presence.
3. A green architecture
The proposed project will comply with the requirements of LEED certification as required in the competition program. The idea of respect discussed above will be pursued by the building itself, as well as the projections and exhibitions it presents. It is on this basis of natural respect for the blue planet that our philosophy of sustainable development is built, thought as a fundamental responsibility at the base of the design.
The analysis of the site and its orientation are at the very basis of the volumetric parti of the project and concretize its quest for natural light in connection with its immediate environment. The project integrates a series of basic principles such as solar orientation, consideration of prevailing winds, natural lighting, and is inspired by climatic realities to suggest appropriate solutions. The simple strategies are a must and form the foundation of a serious ecological approach. Although supported by the LEED grid, the project judiciously focuses its efforts on water use, energy performance, the use of materials that involve and stimulate local industry, and the high quality of the building's interior environments.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Strengths:
The jury recognizes the originality of the open and flexible museological concept.
The scale of the volume is appropriate to the site and the treatment of the envelope is elegant.
Weaknesses:
The quality and coherence of the presentation leaves something to be desired.
The metaphor of the lantern and the lantern/iceberg connection is unconvincing and not very evocative.
The formal double language is disturbing.
The team lacks cohesion with two project managers.
The orientation and treatment of the envelope generate significant solar gain, in addition to detracting from the animation and museology.
The plan for level 100 seems to encroach on the Biodome's warehouses, the project planning is confused and generates too many visit routes.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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