First meeting with the sky
For most of us, the first conscious encounter we had with the sky was experienced away from urban centers, in the heart of nature, in a forest at the edge of a clearing or on the shore of an undeveloped lake at night. Aware that the sky is not only blue with the sun, the moon and a few stars, but rather an immense painting representing the infinite grandeur of the celestial vault staged by an incalculable number of stars. Everywhere, the more we look at the sky, the more we are captivated by the discovery of points of light.
Our proposal offers for this reason a privileged contact with nature: views developed on the sky, views on a new vegetation and views on a new revealed ground. It is essential for us to link the experience of the sky with the encounter with nature.
Generating ideas for our proposal
-The creation of a physical link between visitors and the sky (canon of views).
-The connection of the star theaters with the sky by locating them in the axis of the view cannons, pointing to the sky.
-The work of modification of the Olympic slab. Its lifting in places to create new spaces above ground and new inclinations downwards allowing the creation of spaces at level 100 in connection with the outside.
-The greening of the site, recalling the idea of our first encounter with the sky, in the forest.
Context
The site chosen for the planetarium is a unique place because of its varied architectural and urban composition, with several infrastructures that are important witnesses to Quebec history: the Olympic Stadium, the Biodome (former velodrome), the Maurice-Richard arena and the Pierre-Charbonneau center.) The site is also marked by the presence of the Olympic slab, supporting a predominantly mineral picture.
Concept of the integration party with the surrounding buildings
Our proposal is humbly inserted in a particular environment and preserves the visual clearances necessary to highlight the existing architecture while adding to the value of the composition. The presence of the neighboring infrastructures, all unique in their kind, leads us to propose a reflection centered on the functioning and the appropriation of the site. A first objective for the project was to offer a solution that would allow users to appropriate the site while offering a variety of outdoor environments to complement the surrounding buildings and outdoor spaces. The project allows for the organization of more human-scale spaces.
The second important component of our integration with the site is the proposed play from the Olympic slab. From a horizontal surface, the slab is reoriented and broken up to create the new profiles in elevation. The new slabs thus generate the new topography of the site. The new topography keeps the idea of fluidity of movement on the existing slab and joins levels that are not currently joined: the 200 level and the soccer practice field. In the evening, the interior light creates an accentuated cutting of the slabs and presents them as weightless.
Finally, the integration must also allow the new Planetarium to be easily identifiable among the strong presence of the various neighboring infrastructures. Thus, the presence of two huge view cannons pointing to the sky distinguishes our intervention and gives it a strong identity that will allow the Planetarium to be easily identified and located, whether from Pierre-de-Coubertin, Viau or Sherbrooke street.
Recommended functional solutions
Functionally, our proposal is organized as established in the initial premises of the program, level 100 being dedicated to groups and the link with the Biodome and level 200 being intended for public spaces in general and the two star theaters.
100_The group entrance on level 100 takes advantage of the presence of the winners' square, which allows a direct link with the exterior (view, natural light and access), and of the existing circulation around it. The positioning of the entrance at this location ensures quick access to both the Biodome and the planetarium. To facilitate the orientation of visitors upon entry, the space is naturally lit and offers a view of the new woodland. Most of the shared spaces of the Biodôme and the Planetarium are accessible from the entrance (ticket office, lockers, undressing area). The dining areas are located along the Biodôme and have views of the wooded area. The other spaces are organized on both sides of the linear hall which offers a progression towards the theaters of the stars (at the end of the tour on level 200), while offering views on the outside (agora and view through the animation rooms on the wooded area). At the end of the hall is the auditorium, the viewing room, the sanitary block and the vertical circulations (staircase and elevator). The auditorium is located continuously under the volume of the theater of the stars (east). The technical spaces (mechanical, storage, reception, freight elevator) are distributed to the north and west on the exterior perimeter of the building, accessible from the parking lot. The Biodome storage space remains in the same location, the existing roof slab is demolished and rebuilt on a slope to accommodate the new topography of the site.
200_On the 200 level, the public spaces gravitate around the lobby and are located to participate in the outdoor life of the site and take advantage of the existing activity (very high pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the axis of the metro station and the stadium mast), the store (in front), the lobby and the café are accessible to the east and south. The two star theaters are visible from the entrance and accessible via the salle des pas perdus. Together with the salle des pas perdus, they constitute the limit between public and private spaces. Various spaces related to the operation, organization, and animation are located on the other side of the theaters and the salle des pas perdus, the northern section of the site is dedicated to the private spaces of the Planetarium.
300_The 300 level is organized in a similar way to the 200 level, its public space (exhibition room) opens directly onto the hall and is accessible by a staircase, an elevator and is also connected by a ramp that surrounds one of the spheres. The ramp is an integral part of the exhibition route. The other private spaces (administration, documentation, library and media library) are set back from the exhibition. The Planetarium's secretariat is directly linked to the hall via the staircase and the elevator.
Description of the scenographic concept and the resulting atmospheres
Visible from the street, the building challenges the visitor. The view cannons already reveal the nature of the building, they evoke observation instruments, like telescopes scanning the universe.
The progression on the site has been imagined as an initiatory walk. An animated tour in two sections (in front of the building and on the roof) leads the visitor towards the building and around it. The two sections of the route take the form of "constellations" projected on the ground that guide the visitor to different important points of the site. The route from Pierre-de-Coubertin Street announces the presence of the Planetarium by the presence of two vegetal "planets" of different diameters and heights, emerging from the ground, as a prelude to the spheres of the star theaters. From the mineral reception area that borders the landing, a footbridge leads the visitor to the main entrance. The lowering of the ground at this point allows for a wooded area. This prepares the visitor for a change of environment, bringing him back to his first experience of the sky in nature. The visitor, while remaining at the same level, leaves the ground and gets closer to the sky by approaching the tops of the trees. The observation of the cones before entering the interior forces people to raise their heads towards the sky and observe it again. Once inside, the visitor walks along the wall of the cone in front to quickly discover the second (western) cone and the view it offers of the sky, as well as the sphere it houses. The theaters of the stars are symbolically housed in respective spheres representing stars (planet, moon or other, the visitor will make his own interpretation). By advancing slightly, he becomes aware that the space of the planetarium unfolds on three levels: his own (ground level), a lower level largely visible and open to his own and an upper level on his right. All these spaces are linked by a fault that goes from the Biodome to the upper level. Continuing his progression on the footbridge in front of him, he discovers by turning around the second sphere in the cone of the entrance (east) which spreads out until level 100. The two spheres (places of presentation of the sky) are thus put in relation with the sky by means of the cones. The skylights at the top of the cones are equipped with a solar blackout device that allows the control of the light admitted. This device allows to accentuate at times the staging of the spheres/aster. Eclipses can be simulated at times. The theaters are accessible from the Salle des Pas Perdus, a space open to the hall and also lined with thick, dark, matte walls that allow for light control (doors can be closed if necessary). Access to the theaters is from either side of the Salle des pas perdus. Each theater offers a different experience and the spaces that will be discovered upon exiting will also be different. The exit from the theater (west) with the planetary gear takes the visitor back to the entrance of the salle des pas perdus in the main hall. From there, they can return to the Salle des pas perdus to enter the second theater (east) and enjoy a new experience. The exit from this second theater offers a passage through the space between the sphere and the cone, providing an additional experience for visitors before returning to the main entrance, facing the store. The circulation in this narrow and very high space provides multiple sensations and proposes a vertical contemplation of the space.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Strengths:
The architectural party offers a sequence of quality experiences for visitors.
The exterior architecture and its volumetry suggest the interior architecture.
The spatial organization creates a harmonious relationship between the interior and the exterior site.
The treatment of level 100 offers beautiful vertical perspectives on the stadium and an interesting relationship with the Biodome.
The architectural design proposes an evocative avenue of integration with nature, which is in keeping with the mission of the Montreal Nature Museums.
The architectural design clearly integrates the environmental strategies put forward, including the passive strategy.
The organizational design offers good potential for museology, due to the flexibility of the spaces;
The organization of the volumes favours exterior animation.
Weaknesses :
The level of decision and precision of the design leaves something to be desired: some elements seem contradictory, including the treatment of the wooden structure.
The plan generates a lack of fluidity, especially between levels.
The jury deplores the timidity of the treatment of the site insertion party.
The jury questions the treatment of the cladding and the size of the cones.
Recommendations:
Rigor in the technical resolution of the architecture.
The jury recommends a design workshop between the finalist, the Planetarium, the City and some members of the jury.
Further exploration of the symbolism of the cones in terms of iconography and materiality.
Exploration of the value of the green roof as a territory to be exploited, resolving the current ambiguity between the roof and the walls.
Validation of the dimensioning of the vertical circulations, from level 100, to avoid the feeling of crampedness.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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