At the beginning of the deliberations, the president of the jury and the executive director of Space for Life recalled the expectations and objectives of Space for Life with regard to this competition, which were presented to the finalists at the meeting on April 24, 2014:
- create an immersive experience, an emotion that will reconnect with nature;
- to aim for a balance between the visitor experience and the architecture;
- create an architecture with identity, which speaks;
- integrate a biophilic approach;
- achieve LEED Platinum certification;
- Take advantage of the opportunity to produce an architectural statement;
- develop an architecture that will still be effective in 25-30 years;
- Space for Life wants identity projects to attract and increase clientele.
The following considerations apply to all components:
- PFT is a guide to design, not an end in itself;
- the budget must be considered in relation to the level of progress of the services, as a potential respect for a first conceptual stage;
- The jury should evaluate the proposed intent more than the form or solution described;
- the finalist must respect the intent of Space for Life;
- knowledge alone cannot establish contact between man and nature; current museums have demonstrated this, they lack the emotion generated by experience;
- architecture must propose more than aestheticism and a finesse of gesture, it must provoke a change of behavior through the experience it offers to the visitor;
- the architecture must be integrated with the museum concept to renew the experience; effective museology cannot be achieved through any architectural concept, no matter how strong it may be; this is the condition for the innovation we seek;
- connecting nature and humans is not complex, the simplest solution is the most effective in terms of message; being a friend of nature means a commitment to it.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Paré, Isabelle, Biodôme et l’Insectarium : un concours international d’architecture bientôt lancé, Le Devoir, 2013
Corriveau, Jeanne, Insectarium: la facture de l’agrandissement grimpe, Le Devoir, 2017
Invitation aux auditions publiques, Espace pour la vie, 2014
La métamorphose de l'Insectarium, Espace pour la vie
La réalisation des legs du 375e anniversaire de Montréal est bien amorcée à Espace pour la vie - Dévoilement des lauréats du concours d'architecture international d'Espace pour la vie, 2014
Montréal, 23 novembre 2014Concours Bureau du design | Ville de, "Lauréats du concours d'architecture international d'Espace pour la vie", Kollectif, 2014
Bruemmer, René, Montreal gives Biodôme, Insectarium $45M for renovations, montrealgazette, 2015
Garon, Jean, Deux ans de travaux à l’Insectarium de Montréal, 2019
meveshaffer, Un concours d’architecture pour Espace pour la vie, Journal Métro, 2014
macarignan, Futur Insectarium: L’architecture invisible, Journal Métro, 2017
Design Actif Retrouver la forme, ESQUISSES, 2016
Espace pour la vie, Concours d'architecture d'Espace pour la vie - Trois grands projets pour le 375e anniversaire de Montréal en 2017, Cision, 2014