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Le Jardin Boileau
By : Le Jardin Boileau
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture - Public Space : Silver Certification
Renaissance of a forgotten heritage
The Boileau garden in Chambly was born of a strong desire to pay tribute to the builders of the Boileau family. At the time, this family was able to enrich the city by developing market gardening and food crops to the point of becoming a heritage. In 2018, the city was forced to demolish the house due to the danger of the building which had fallen into disrepair over time. In 2021, the project of redevelopment of the Boileau garden is born to pay tribute to this intangible heritage of the city of Chambly. EVOQ’s landscape architecture team is carrying out the project in collaboration with museologists from Merlitch.
An innovative and historically sensitive concept
The project’s bias promises to convey to visitors the importance of a garden’s vegetable and food culture while highlighting the Boileau family’s immense contribution to the city’s development. René Boileau’s horticultural notebook is the cornerstone of this project. The layout of the garden boxes, installed on either side of a large pathway, recalls the original garden, as do the fruit trees in his orchard. Pathways, spaces for sharing and pausing, furniture, lighting, and selected plantings were integrated into the project to bring back the genius of the place.
The entire park offers rustic formal gardens, a small orchard, a relaxation area, a plaza, an old-fashioned gallery, a sundial, and interpretive modules telling the story of the site and the Boileau family. Various characteristic architectural elements have been integrated to nod to the Boileau house, notably the door and porch, the dormers and the large wooden gallery. These architectural details recall this blue house that dominated the basin since 1820, a symbol of the dedication of Chambly’s patriots.
A project carried out with and for the people of Chambly
The project’s challenge was to bring together all the richness of the Boileau’s former lands in a small space and to reconnect with the population that is very attached to this heritage. Let us recall that in 2020, the City of Chambly undertook a public participation process allowing citizens to have a concrete input on this project. As a result, certain elements that the population wished to see restored, such as the arches, the wooden gallery, and the sundial, are now in place. The site becomes a unique gathering space for sharing, conducive to educational and festive activities!
Collaboration
