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Canoë
By : Ædifica & ADHOC Architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Other categories in architecture / Concept & Unbuilt : Gold Certification
The site of the Canoe project, at the corner of Hochelaga and Bennett streets, is located in the heart of the Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, an area with a varied built heritage testifying to the eras that have marked it.
The axis of Morgan Avenue in which the project is inserted is in itself a timeline testifying to the development of the borough and the City of Montreal. One of the guiding principles of the project is to reconnect the site to this axis, to reinforce it through the built environment and to celebrate it through the implementation of a linear park on the site. To achieve this, the architecture of the institutional, residential and industrial buildings in the area was analyzed through a typo-morphological study.
The objective of this study is to draw inspiration from the immediate environment to create an architecture that is sensitive to its context and that reinterprets these typologies in a contemporary manner. The data collected was collated in a summary table to establish rules of composition for each of the project\\’s interfaces.
The main characteristics studied are the parcel division of the neighborhood, the diversity in the heights of the surrounding buildings, and the materiality.
On the Bennett interface, a smaller scale division is proposed, in dialogue with the existing residential parcel. On Hochelaga Street, the division of the parcel is done in larger proportions, in continuity with the institutional buildings that line the street.
The distribution of the different building scales was done in such a way as to ensure a connection with the neighbouring buildings. To open the site to the neighborhood, an axis crosses the entire project. This axis, named Allée des Artistes, consolidates the urban experience in the heart of the block and encourages exchanges between residents and visitors of the neighborhood. To celebrate the heterogeneity of the sector, the heights of the buildings vary from 1 to 10 floors along the Allée. They are formed by a series of volumes that create interior courtyards articulated around the Allée. This layout allows for the diversification of the buildings on the site and responds to a wide variety of needs.
In terms of materiality, the project is a contemporary reinterpretation of the duality between the typical masonry facades and the backyard constructions, elements of Montreal vernacular architecture. To celebrate the gesture of the courtyards articulating along the axis, the public interfaces feature mineral masonry cladding while the private courtyard interfaces feature a light, bright cladding. Several attributes of the surrounding residential typologies are also emphasized: the integration of projecting balconies, clay brick with neighbourhood colouring, vertically proportioned fenestration and masonry interplay ensure a harmonious fit with the surrounding architecture.
Every good rule has its exception. Volumes that do not stem from the grand gesture of the master plan, in which interior courtyards are articulated around a central axis, will have a different expression. A moment of discovery, of surprise, in the city that strikes the imagination and celebrates the heterogeneity of the city.
Collaboration
Real Estate Developer : Rachel Julien
Engineering : Bouthillette Parizeau
Landscape Architecture : Bao Nguyen architecte paysagiste
