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Le Triangle
By : Catalyse Urbaine
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Urban Design / Civic Design Project : Gold Certification
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Pedestrian Street / Shared Street : Platinum Winner
Making streets for people
A sea of asphalt swept by dust and heat, that is what Namur-Jean-Talon looked like before the City of Montreal launched a Canada-wide urban design competition to redesign the area. Catalyse Urbaine won the competition to transform this car-dominated area into a vibrant neighborhood which premieres innovative water management and shared street design.
Exceptionally, the geometry of the streets was redrawn by the landscape architects. A rare occurrence in a car-dominated part of the city, traffic fluidity took second place to making streets for people.
One of the first shared streets in Montreal
Nowhere is the innovation of this project more evident than in the creation of one of the first shared streets in Montreal, Buchan Street. To ensure pedestrian safety while still providing a welcoming environment for the mobility impaired, the street does not use conventional signage or separation of modes of travel, but rather a remarkable mosaic of paver textures and colors.
A place of gathering for all
An important consideration was to offer opportunities for social interaction for this socially and culturally diverse population. Lush vegetation and pocket seating areas nestle in the space gained by reducing street width, improving quality of life, and offering opportunities for social interaction. Signage for the visually impaired is integrated into the pavement through out the projet. Abundant plantings have reduced the heat island effect and fostered urban biodiversity.
An innovative model of green infrastructure
The project’s bioretention system absorbs 80% of the streets’ run-off. It comprises three separate prototypes which each showcase a different method of collecting and treating street runoff. Working closely with the public works department, granite paver shoulders were added for snow stock-piling areas, and granite boulders added to protect from snow removal vehicles.
To ensure population support for the bioretention systems, the watercourse and workings of the system are clearly legible. The rain gardens are showcased in the Canadian Standards Association\\\’s Design of bioretention systems as an exemplary model to follow.
Challenges encountered
One of the major challenges was to reconcile the project\\\’s innovation objectives with the technical constraints inherent to the proper functioning of a street. To ensure such imperatives as pedestrian safety, snow removal and drainage, we worked closely with the City of Montreal and the public works department to resolve technical constraints and create custom street details for the projet.
Financial success
The project has attracted investors and been a financial success for the City of Montreal. The project has generated sufficient income to reimburse the initial investment in less than three years, instead of the ten years that had been projected.
Collaboration
