Navigating the Slope
How can the act of arrival become an accessible, shared, and meaningful experience for all, without making difference visible?
This project takes inspiration from the modern architecture of the Université de Montréal's Campus MIL. It uses this reference to reinterpret the monumental concrete language of the CEPSUM, transforming its arrival sequence into a softer, more inclusive and contemporary experience. The intervention aims to foster a dialogue between architectural eras, bridging the CEPSUM's heavy forms with today's values of openness, flexibility, and well-being.
In this vision, the journey to the CEPSUM becomes a public experiential promenade. Rather than a technical transition, the arrival path is reimagined as a sequence of gradual pauses and social encounters.
We replace the existing enclosed staircases with a system of exterior platforms and connected interior walkways, turning the site's steep topography into a spatial and sensory resource. From the lower street level, the route does not descend but flows gently into the terrain. Visitors enter through a carved, semi-open gallery that connects with the public space--neither underground nor enclosed--serving as both a threshold and a gathering place.
From there, a network of parallel indoor and outdoor paths enables a gradual ascent. The design is guided by the principle of invisible universal accessibility, grounded in two core values:
• Equitable use: all users share the same paths.
• Flexibility of use: the route allows multiple trajectories and supports diverse needs, climates, and rhythms.
Architecture here follows the landscape rather than dominating it. To ascend is also to pause, observe, and connect. Each stop becomes a micro-public space, enriched with shade, vegetation, and views.
Arrival becomes a shared experience--an inclusive journey lived, not adapted.
(From competitor's text)
The layout is easy to read, and the presentation is of high quality, suitable for all seasons. The 'stramps' (stairs + ramp) are considered problematic and hazardous for people with disabilities but otherwise the redesign is effective and provide new routes to reception. Retaining the tunnel and planting over it creates an interesting green wall. The possible addition of social seating could be relevant.
(From jury report)
12 scanned / 12 viewable
- PDF presentation
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Site Plan
- Axonometric Drawing
- Axonometric Drawing
- Axonometric Drawing
- Axonometric Drawing
- Axonometric Drawing
- Axonometric Drawing
