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Simon Valois Shared Space
By : civiliti
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Pedestrian Street / Shared Street : Platinum Winner
Over the last two decades, Montréal has embarked on a major revitalization program of its urban infrastructure. Pedestrians are given priority as streets, sidewalks, and public squares are transformed throughout the city. Place Simon-Valois, inaugurated in 2006, was one of the first projects to reflect this strategy. It was the initial phase of a much larger project, now called the Simon-Valois Shared Space.
The new civic environment, which centers around the existing square, now extends across part of Ontario Street and Valois Avenue. As in 2006, the narrative developed for the new Shared Space is derived from the area’s industrial past. Corten steel was selected as the predominant material and was used for the full family of urban furniture. A reinterpretation of the traditional railway switch tower was added to the project, reinforcing the memory of the past. Erected across from Place Simon-Valois, this major sculptural element can be used for events of all kinds or simply as a place to meet and relax.
Small gathering spaces were built along Valois Avenue as urban lounges, intimate places to meet just off the livelier public square. The street profile was designed to direct runoff water towards the planting pits that frame the lounges, which are equipped with a rooting cell system that extends below the paved areas. Granite and concrete pavers, already used for Place Simon-Valois, were laid throughout. The project recalls the history of the site while reinforcing the original concept of Place Simon-Valois.
Collaboration
