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Épouse-moi
By : Atelier mock/up, BoOn architecture, Quinzhee architecture
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 15th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture - Public Space : Gold Certification
The Saint-Sauveur district has been in the midst of revitalization for the past fifteen years. Saint-Vallier Street runs through the district and the curves of the Saint-Charles River run up north. Despite recent commercial development and the efforts of the neighbourhood council, the pandemic has not spared the social life of this historic neighbourhood. Following a year of partial containment, the City of Quebec allocated a $30,000 budget to breathe new life into its streets. The mock/up studio joined forces with Quinzhee and BoOn architects to propose an urban installation by reappropriating a small wasteland in the heart of the Saint-Sauveur district. A point of convergence and gathering, the project aims to create a pretext to meet, exchange and reconnect with a human touch.
Taking up the gentle sinuous lines of the river, the architectural team imagines an installation in the form of an urban bench under the foliage of a secular tree. This invitation to reappropriate this vegetated space is then entirely developed using digital design tools. The computer coded design allows to adapt the shape to the irregular topography and to propose, by playing with the density of the material, a vertical curtain in order to create a visual break with the street. An intimate and airy space, the bench unfolds on two levels, combining seats and backrests while integrating harmoniously into the urban landscape.
The structure is entirely made of wood and keeps an aesthetic close to the Do it yourself. This apparent simplicity tends towards a desacralization of urban spaces by making this furniture as accessible in its use as in its design. However, it is thanks to the parametric approach (digital design from a set of data and constraints), thus optimizing each aspect of production, that this project could be born. The result is a project that reflects Quinzhee's playful personality, BoOn's ecological sensitivity and the parametric aesthetics of mock/up.
Opening in early September 2021, the project is an immediate hit with local residents and users of the nearby café. This large seating area is quickly becoming an extension of their terrace, where customers will naturally settle in to enjoy their coffee. The installation is also a big hit with children, who take to the furniture as a versatile playground.
Collaboration
