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Gadbois Center, Architecture competition
By : PRISME architecture + Adhoc Architectes en collaboration GBI
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Other categories in architecture / Concept & Unbuilt : Gold Certification
The Complexe récréatif Gadbois is one of Montreal’s most important sports centers. Serving the population of the Sud-Ouest, it is home to some fifteen sports associations and clubs offering the population the opportunity to practice a multitude of sports and recreational activities. A heritage building built in 1960, the Gadbois center underwent two expansions in 1970 and 1981.
Thecompetition launched in 2023 by the Ville de Montréal aimed to respond to the obsolescence and non-compliance of existing facilities – while wishing to enhance the recreational offer and thus recover an attractive location part of anurban renewal – the Pôle Gadbois. Among the thirty or so submissions and following the two qualification stages, the proposal, brought forward by the firms PRISME Architecture and ADHOC Architectes, in collaboration with engineering services GBI, was unanimously selected by the jury members.
Organizing the project in a way that is both innovative and attractive is a key factor in the success of the project.
Optimizing thesynergy between the existing and the new, reducing interventions on the existing to the essential, the project adopts a pedagogical approach of pragmatic and circular architecture. In short, it presents itself as an avant-garde urban project, aligned with the ESG updated values of the city of Montreal, at the heart of its ecological, social and community transition.
In addition to providing a remarkable response to the challenges of the mandate, the consortium, thanks to their complementary skills, has successfully designed a project that combines economic and technical viability in equal measure. Paying homage to the historical richness of the premises and proposing acontemporary intervention that sensitively fits its context, the project stands out for its commitment to sustainability and its contribution to the community, moreover highlighted by the committee.
Valuing the existing with a view to carbon neutrality.
(Ecology – minimizing the impact of intervention on the environment)
The most ecological building is intended to be the one that is not built and, secondarily, the one that already exists. In this perspective of carboneutrality, the team has based its solutions on the maximum conservation of the existing, the adoption of passive strategies and d‘minimal interventions.
The most ecological building is the one that is not built, and secondly, the one that already exists.
Concretely, the team’s architectural choice was to preserve as much of the existing building as possible, proposing instead the complete redevelopment of the central block, as well as a slightly distanced extension, thus avoiding seismic retrofitting and structural reinforcement of the existing building. This approach frees up significant sums of money to improve the quality of the existing building’s spaces and envelope, providing real added value for users and ensuring the sustainability of the project. This approach allows for the creation of a bonus community space, by transforming the existing gymnasium into a central, multi-purpose « agora », which will enable the Gadbois center to enhance its community activities. In the end, some 3,260m² will be added to the existing 20,000m², of which more than 6,000m² will be redeveloped and renovated.
The proposed expansion of the Gadbois center will be a major step forward in the development of this new facility.
The proposed extension, the new focal point of the Woonerf Saint-Pierre, is intended to be a compact volume clad in a high energy performance envelope. The new masonry-adorned volume rises at ground level to open onto the adjacent park, echoing some of the gestures of the existing building. The brickwork unfurls like a negative of the silo footprint, recalling the remains of the Smoky Valley. The final layer of the extension, a light, undulating cladding on the west side, softens the visual impact of the gymnasium’s volume in relation to the existing heritage building. A duality is thus born between the built heritage (solid) and the landscape (waves of the canal).
In the existing building, targeted breakthroughs, blocks of light, enable users to rediscover spatiotemporal landmarks with the help of the new contribution of light. Based on the principle that movement is to sport what users are to the building, the transparent circulation acts as a backdrop to set the scene. The center, already recognized for its involvement with community organizations, will adapt to a variety of complementary uses, ensuring universal accessibility, enriching the current offering and meeting the needs of the community for many years to come.
To enhance sports, cultural and community facilities in the greater Southwest.
(Company – giving back to the community)
Initially built in 1960, the heritage building today appears as a string of expansions (1970, 1980) hemmed in by the new iteration of the Turcot interchange. The aim of the competition was therefore to review the facilities in order to enhance and upgrade them, creating a whole that blends in with the heritage of the site.
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Teams were evaluated on the following points: urban integration, architectural quality, improved circulation and ease of orientation, integration of measures/innovation in terms of ecological transition, as well as budget feasibility.
The result is a project that projects itself into the future with a new building that is one of the most exemplary in terms of eco-responsibility; a project that optimizes the synergy between the existing and the new with an educational approach to pragmatic and circular architecture.
Collaboration
Architect : PRISME architecture
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