Project / Published on June 7, 2021
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SCOPE : NATURE
Maison Léon-Provancher Permanent Show, design by B Architecture
Written by Juli Pisano and published in INTÉRIEURS 80, Winter 2020 for its GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Award, Exhibition. Photos: Optique Photo.
Located in the heart of old Cap-Rouge in the Quebec City region, the Maison Léon-Provancher offers educational activities for children aged 3 to 12 and their families. Here, the relationship with the natural environment and experimentation is valued in order to arouse wonder, stimulate curiosity and, thus, ensure the continuation of the work of the great naturalist Léon Provancher.
The museum administrators called on the B Architecture team to design the layout of the new permanent exhibition highlighting the work of the abbot.
Upon entering the house turned cultural centre, the visitor is immersed in the naturalist’s world.
A first laboratory activity invites one to discover the characteristics of the different animal classes, and with that, the basics of the scientific method are passed on!
The visit leads to the main room, where fun interactive devices, well-thought-out graphic elements and fascinating artefacts combine and create a path honouring the richness of local biodiversity.
The concept works on a “reduced” scale, one perfectly aligned with the scale of its target audience comprised of children and the modest size of the house, built in 1845.
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Childhood senses activated! The GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN jury was charmed by the design’s level of research, the use of surfaces, the nature-inspired choice of materials, colours and textures and the integration of intelligent furniture adapted to children of all ages. The exhibition was also awarded in September 2020 with the Cascade Award “Best Exhibition—Small Institution”, discerned by the Canadian Association of Science Centres.
WHO WAS FATHER LÉON PROVANCHER?
Father Léon Provancher was, according to Marie-Victorin, the “first and greatest” of our scientists, a “remarkable scientist whose works will remain classic in America”.
His inextinguishable curiosity and his formidable will made Provancher produce the first flora of Lower Canada. He also advanced knowledge of the insect fauna by discovering and describing 1,216 species.
He also realized pioneering studies on the Molluscs of Quebec and the world as well as his work on the acclimatization of plants. He created and has long been the soul of the oldest French magazine in America: Le Naturaliste canadienne. The Gazette of Acadian and Canadian Families as well as the Religious Week of Quebec were also born under his leadership.
His immense accomplishments came at a time in our history when little or nothing came to support or guide this determined appetite for knowledge. His correspondence, his library, his collections of insects, plants, molluscs and birds constitute a founding element of Quebec’s scientific heritage.
ABOUT MAISON LÉON-PROVENCHER
All parents know it … spring is registration season for summer camps! La Maison offers a specialized program of themed day camps from June 25 to August 25. As for tours of the exhibition, the museum is currently open by reservation.
maisonleonprovancher.com
ABOUT DE B ARCHITECTURE
B Architecture is a multidisciplinary platform where the skills and expertise of several professionals are combined in order to offer a unique and distinctive service.
In addition to professional architectural services, the Quebec firm has a complete offer ranging from interior design to the integration of signage, including digital coordination and museography.
