Making room for the redesign of three public squares in Montreal
In this update of the Canadian Competitions Catalogue, we present three competitions organized by the City of Montreal from 2017 to 2020 on urban sites considered strategic. Comparisons will reveal three very different ways of designing a "public square." The competition for the Place des Montréalaises in 2017 aimed to link the Champ-de-Mars metro station to Old Montreal in order to create a new landscaped entrance. Here, the square is suspended over the highway. The international competition McGill College, l'avenue réinventée in 2019, focused on a major axis between the eponymous University or Place Ville-Marie, depending on whether one favors the academic or financial dimension of this neuralgic artery. Here, it is the street (or the widened sidewalk) that was to become a square as a result of pedestrianization. As for the competition for the development of “lot 066” and its surroundings in 2020 - whose name is not very evocative, but whose political stakes are indisputable - it in fact concerned one of the most coveted lots in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles. We could also add to it a 2003 competition, already documented in the CCC, on the same site, but which was then entitled "Place Eugène-Lapierre." Having had the honor of acting as president of the jury at the time, I suggest that readers compare the proposals and issues to appreciate the mutation of ideas and urban values nearly two decades later. It must be said that, in the meantime, Montreal's most important and international public space has undergone a true renaissance: Place des Arts.
The primary aim of this competition is to address the vision statement by highlighting the environmental approach, social nature, and functionality of the project. To ensure this vision is concretely and meaningfully embraced, three goals have been defined. They must serve as guidelines for development of the project.
Nature and biodiversity - Creating an urban garden
The Lot 066 project must offer a cross-cutting perspective on how this space should be reinvented. The project aims at design of a landscaped public space generative of new types of occupancy and new connections between people and nature. This new public space must provide a site of quality, where vegetation is the main focus of the spatial planning. Lying at the centre of an area where hardscapes predominate, it must offer a space that contrasts with its surroundings. The asphalted surface must be replaced by dense green cover where users will enjoy a sense of escape. The project must also incorporate thinking on the theme of water as a design tool and a component of the site's redevelopment. Working with natural materials is a way of reclaiming urban space and presenting a variety of development possibilities.
Community and cohabitation - Providing a place to meet
This landscaping project is an opportunity to create a public space open to all, a meeting place, in an especially fast-paced, busy district. The concept must respond to the needs of neighbourhood residents as well as those of visitors. The reclaiming of this space will require attention to both the daytime and nighttime atmosphere, the accessibility of the site, and its overall potential to foster social ties: the project must promote dialogue among diverse social groups (GBA+). An enhanced living environment necessarily brings about new forms of solidarity. The goal is to promote the cohabitation of a diversity of people and to contribute to making the space a living, inclusive place.
Uniqueness and versatility - Designing a multifunction space
The site transformation must enable more efficient use and incorporation of activities occurring just off-site. The project design must take into account the fact that during the festivals period, the site is midway between the outdoor stages and the métro station entrances. In addition, it must ensure sustainability of festival logistics operations on the site by including a surface suitable to the needs of the Quartier des spectacles. The design of this open area will require consideration of an alternate use during fall, winter and spring, since it serves festival logistics purposes in summer only. Versatility and flexibility must therefore be core project considerations. The design must allow for great freedom of types of occupancy, given the multiplicity of uses year-round. The goal is practical coexistence of uses related to festivals and those pertaining to the site's cooling island role.
(From competition program)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Stage 1 :
A Proposal presents the general ideas and strategies that are prioritized by a Competitor to address the challenges of the Project. These criteria relate to the issues and challenges specific to the Project and are judged on an equivalent basis. The Jury applies the following criteria when evaluating a Proposal:
Conceptual aspect:
•Capacity of the project to translate the Competition vision;
•Degree to which the project presents clear, intuitive designs;
•Coherence of the project with the living and working environments as well as with the existing public spaces in the Quartier des spectacles;
•Flexibility of the design elements to accommodate backstage use during presentation of a festival event.
Social aspect:
•Coexistence of the diverse users and social groups (GBA+);
•Capacity of the project to generate meeting places and spaces for relaxation for all area residents;
•Potential for the site to be embraced by all types of users at all times;
•Inclusive character of the designs.
Functional aspect:
Clarity and readability of the various routes depending on user groups (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists);
Space that is accessible and safe for a broad diversity of users.
Green/landscape aspect:
•Capacity of the landscaping strategy to achieve the biodiversity and eco-resilience objectives;
•Comfort of the spaces for users under different climate conditions;
•Capacity of the design to create shaded and cool areas;
•Predominance of greenery in the design;
•Quality of the water management strategy;
•Relevance and innovation of the environmental approach.
Stage 2 :
The Jury proceeded to the evaluation of the performances by applying the criteria of stage 1 and those added in stage 2:
•Evolution of the Proposal with regard to the proposed approach, concept and designs/layout;
•Choice and appropriateness of the spatial and formal choices;
•Choice and appropriateness of the furniture, materials, plantings, lighting, etc.
•Consideration of site maintenance and durability of the designs/layout;
•Technical feasibility of the project, including costs of execution and implementation of the designs/layout;
•Compliance with the work calendar and site constraints;
•Team's qualification to execute the mandate:
(From competition brief)
(Unofficial automated translation)
| Jury president S1 |
Rami Bebawi, Architecte
|
| Jury S1 | Élise Beauregard, Architecte de paysage |
| | Vincent Lemay, Architecte de paysage |
| | Charles Ormsby, Ingénieur civil |
| | Marjorie Pratte, Architecte de paysage |
| | Marie-Claude Séguin, Ingénieur |
| | Juan Torres, Urbaniste |
| |
|
| Jury president S2 |
Rami Bebawi, Architecte
|
| Jury S2 | Élise Beauregard, Architecte de paysage |
| | Vincent Lemay, Architecte de paysage |
| | Charles Ormsby, Ingénieur civil |
| | Marjorie Pratte, Architecte de paysage |
| | Marie-Claude Séguin, Ingénieur |
| | Juan Torres, Urbaniste |
| |
|
| |
|
| Technical Commitee | Gunther Conard |
| | Jonathan Guimond |
| | Rémi Haf |
| | Stéphan Lajeunesse |
| | Adriana Melendez |
| | Ramy Mikati |
| | Christian Miron |
Stage 1 / Call for Proposals
Competition Documents available on SEAO: October 14, 2020
Question period: October 14 to November 4, 2020
Deadline for transmission of answers to questions and addenda: November 11, 2020
Submission of Proposals: November 25, 2020
Jury session: Week of December 7, 2020
Communication to Finalists concerned that their Proposal has been selected: Week of December 14, 2020
Announcement of Finalists: Week of December 14, 2020
Stage 2 / Service Offerings
Mandatory information meeting for Finalists: January 7, 2021
Question period: January 7 to February 3, 2021
Deadline for transmission of answers to questions and addenda: February 10, 2021
Submission of Service Offerings: February 24, 2021
Work by the Technical Committee: March 1 to 15, 2021
Public hearing of the Finalists and Jury session: Week of March 22, 2021
Announcement of Winner Target date: May 2021
(From competition brief)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Créons ensemble un espace remarquable comme lieu phare de la place des Festivals ! | Réalisons Montréal, Ville de Montréal
Lancement d'un concours international d'architecture de paysage pour l'aménagement d'un nouvel espace vert dans le Quartier des Spectacles, Le Lézard, 2020
Quartier des spectacles | Concours international d'architecture de paysage - LOT Nº 066, Quartier des spectacles Montréal
Mario Nájera, Raquel Peñalosa, Diana Elizalde et WAA Montréal remportent le concours international d'architecture de paysage pluridisciplinaire pour la conception de l'aménagement d'un nouveau parc dans le Quartier des spectacles, CISION, 2021
Concours international d'architecture de paysage pluridisciplinaire - Aménagement du terrain no 066 et de ses abords, Kollectif, 2020
Ville de Montréal - Portail officiel - Détail du communiqué, Ville de Montréal
TEISCEIRA-LESSARD, Philippe, Une petite « forêt urbaine » sur la place des Festivals, La Presse, 2021
- Programme
- Règlement
- Rapport du jury (global)
