INTERSTICE ACTIVATING
The proposed experience begins on boulevard Édouard-Montpetit and leads to the CEPSUM welcome point. Rather than using traditional interior access routes, the project proposes an exterior pathway, crossing a previously neglected space. This space, underused, is nonetheless one of the site's few green areas and has tremendous potential to be revived. The intervention aims to revalorize this interstice by transforming it into a true place of passage and life; functional, universally accessible, and offering a new kind of urban experience.
The guiding principle of introducing a slope following a non-linear path was to create an experiential journey rather than a simple means of access. It is no longer a simple access point, but a real path of experience. By reinventing the traditional slope, the project transforms a topographical constraint into a spatial opportunity that energizes and activates the site.
The choice of an organic layout breaks away from the rigidity and harshness of the CEPSUM's large concrete masses. This fluid pathway, meandering through the gardens, softens the built environment and creates a subtle contrast with its mineral context. The ramp curves around the solariums, which become like opera boxes opening onto the pathway, strengthening the interior-exterior and creating a socially active space. The slope is also equipped to ensure universal accessibility: illuminated handrails for the visually impaired, anti-slip texture flooring, and proportions adapted to all users.
This architectural intervention, which connects all points of interest through an exterior route, generates a new, more welcoming atmosphere where movement becomes a sensitive transition between nature and architecture. This responds to the second principle that guided the project: the idea of enhancing the accessible path so that it becomes the preferred mode of circulation.
(From competitor's text)
The proposal presents few relevant interventions. The approach consists of adding ramps between the buildings but the curved ramp is an issue for people with disabilities.
(From jury report)
4 scanned / 4 viewable
- PDF presentation
- Plan
- Axonometric Drawing
- Sketch
