Our first planning decision, therefore, was to reposition the new building in relation to the existing elements. A cubic volume, serving not only as an urban landmark, but as the new attractive core of the complex, establishes a visual link between the neo-Gothic church and the other museum buildings, freeing up the courtyard space (the cloister) of the former monastery. A basic volume of simple geometry and regular modulation is "cut" by a system of polygonal subtractions, shaping a spatial complexity and richness in interaction with its strict uniformity. In fact, the project represents two complementary architectural systems in terms of scale and geometry: a simple spatial sequence based on an orthogonal grid and a series of negative geometric voids, which are decomposed in different scales to qualify the interior spaces (natural and zenithal lights and visual links to the exterior) and to establish a dialogue with the roofs of the buildings composing the church.
A horizontal base building, on a human scale, welcomes visitors directly onto Grande-Allée thanks to a veritable urban portico 15 meters high, which announces the new main entrance of the museum and displays its major exhibitions. Generously open to the exterior, it qualifies the new visual and functional links between the different entities of the urban context: the extension, the city and the Grande-Allée, the historical ensemble of the monastery, the park and the existing museum buildings. The reduced scale of the base building in the landscape, its green roof and its linear extension towards the interior of the site, allow the new and existing museum functions to be brought together, but also to open up important views from the street, on the church as well as on the new cubic volume and identity of the permanent exhibition rooms.
The interior space of the base building houses most of the public-oriented museum facilities: the entrance area, foyer, reception, lobby, stores, amphitheater, and circulation. By connecting the new museum entrance to the Charles-Baillargé Pavilion, the new lobby clearly establishes a spatial and visual link to the upper and lower levels. Under the courtyard of the new complex, the basement houses rooms for temporary exhibitions and exhibition-related areas. The temporary exhibitions and their home benefit from an outdoor garden, also an exhibition space literally inserted into the courtyard, which allows natural light to enter this lower level and promotes comfort, understanding and orientation.
The upper levels of the main volume are entirely devoted to permanent exhibitions. The museum's exhibition concept, which consists of a series of interconnected modular rooms of different sizes, allows the visitor to take different routes. The rooms can be subdivided in different ways using partitions or small volumes, the design of which will be defined during the development of the project.
The choice of materials and construction systems responds to the generative idea of the architectural project: recycled aluminum, wood and limestone, recovered from the existing convent, define the exterior and interior volumes and anchor the project in its economic, cultural and historical context. The main cubic building and the base building are conceived as a singular whole covered with a single material: molded panels of recycled aluminum, which give brightness and lightness to a communicative volumetry open to its environment.
The choice of materials and construction systems responds to the generative idea of the architectural project: recycled aluminum, wood and limestone, recovered from the existing convent, define the exterior and interior volumes and anchor the project in its economic, cultural and historical context. The main cubic building and the base building are conceived as a singular ensemble covered with a single material: molded panels of recycled aluminum, which lend brightness and lightness to a volumetry that is communicative and open to its environment.
In addition to promoting budgetary control and reducing the consumption of natural resources by limiting the above-ground volumetry and reducing the surface area of the envelope, the project's compact and efficient design reduces circulation and provides views to the exterior and natural light on all floors. Through its large, localized openings, the base building provides visual and functional connections between the first floor, the interior courtyard, Grande-Allée and the park. While some of the large inclined planes of the main volume are in fact sealed openings that also provide the circulation areas of the floors and the exhibition spaces with natural light and visual links between the interior spaces and the context.
Sustainable development strategies
The main challenge of sustainable development applied to our concept is to do as much, especially better, with less. The technical, functional and aesthetic challenges can be summarized by reducing the consumption of our resources. The compact nature of the project's layout and volume; the main materials emphasizing their local specificity, recycling and recovery (aluminum, wood and stone); the use of geothermal energy in a perspective of optimized performance; the garden roof; and the concept of a mixed structure minimizing heights and material; are all strategies that aim to reduce (and control) energy consumption, water and material consumption, transportation distances, and above all, operation and maintenance costs that will last for decades, well beyond the construction period.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
STAGE 1
-The jury recognized the originality of the concept and the interest of the response to the urban and heritage challenges; the volumetric minimization of the entrance favours the views on the Saint-Dominique Church and the presbytery while maximizing the natural lighting of the courtyard.
-The volumetric design ensures harmonization with the Museum building; the simple volume is composed with the two (2) existing volumes to form a new whole.
-The functional organization is clear and simple thanks to the two (2) easily identifiable elements.
-The connections from the tunnel to the Charles-Baillairgé pavilion complete the movement initiated by the entrance but cannot be realized; the door of the old prison and the steps must be preserved and the intervention on the façade must not disturb the reading of this listed historic building.
-The concept of visual clearance on St. Dominic's Church is defensible but detracts from the visibility of the Museum entrance; the urban presence of the entrance is weak because of the street setback.
-The elevations of the rear volume do not clearly define the articulation of the three (3) volumes; the jury cannot assess the value of the proposed translucent treatment and the indicated aluminum cladding.
-The jury questions the respect of the program's surface areas.
-In terms of sustainable development, there are few elements to evaluate and the relevance of the green roof is to be developed.
STAGE 2
Starting from a generous urban intention, the concept generated a solution mostly valid for a competition but not adapted to the expectations of the Museum. Although the project has evolved positively, and its presence on Grande-Allée is more assertive, it does not succeed in creating a museum cohesion, the dialogue being with the neighbors.
The formal party has created unsolvable functional constraints; it is limited and locked into its architecture.
The entrance is not on the scale of a museum or the city while the volume of the lobby does not invite the public to the permanent exhibitions; the temporary exhibitions in the basement enhance the tunnel but offer less flexible surfaces.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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