Key concepts
The Quartier des Spectacles is currently perceived as a large matrix with variable density that is concentrated along the public grid and supports a large number of elements and sub-elements such as major traffic arteries, entertainment venues, shopping districts, residential blocks, bars, theaters, plazas, etc. Working behind the scenes on this matrix would have contributed to complicating an already very complex picture. For the sake of distinction (clarity, simplicity, protection), a new matrix that is relatively independent from the first has been created, and residential elements are connected to it.
The buildings act as an "inhabited barrier," a buffer zone between the two matrices that allows residents to move around as they please and choose between activity and tranquility.
A gradation of privacy is created in three stages: the public street, the semi-public "garden street," and the terraces and private dwellings.
Architectural approach
It was established from the outset that a five-story typology was appropriate as it provided adequate lighting for public streets and required simple structural/mechanical systems, keeping construction costs low.
These low construction costs and a wide variety of housing configurations and sizes promote social diversity.
Solar potential is exploited to provide the new matrix and housing with high-quality lighting. It should be noted that the traditional typology consisting of a reflection of the buildings on either side of the block center has been abandoned in order to offer volumes that differ according to their solar orientation.
Integration into the site and environment
The traditional 25-foot facade grid has been retained. This facilitates technical and visual integration into the historic built environment.
The new space takes shape behind the scenes of the neighborhood and does not alter its image at first glance.
General principle of spatial organization
In three stages: a commercial base supporting a "garden street" onto which the housing units open.
The typology has been developed so that all dwellings have bedrooms overlooking the "garden street" (tranquility) and living spaces that are naturally lit for most of the day.
Access to the dwellings is via the public street and via the "garden street."
(From the competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Project title: Mon quartier
The jury appreciated:
The project's potential as the basis for a typology with a wide variety of standard housing types.
The desire to combine work and living spaces in a single unit.
The potential for developing workspaces connected to the street.
The sensitivity to the importance of sunlight in the project.
The possibility of making it a pilot typology project for a specific clientele, particularly young entrepreneurs who need an interface with the street and want to live where they work.
The jury questioned (reservation):
The overly generic nature of the proposal in relation to the issue of implementation, which may prove complex due to the morphology of the area, especially the size of the blocks.
The nature of the potential occupants: the lack of connection between the proposal and the potential occupants.
The density and profitability of the proposal for the target area: the proposal does not seem to offer a high enough density for this central neighborhood.
The emphasis on the notion of a sense of belonging to the neighborhood, given the generic nature of the proposal.
The nature of private access to each dwelling.
The jury suggested (as a starting point for the follow-up to the competition):
Adapting the proposal to more concrete sites by questioning the template.
Including more functional diversity.
Working on verticality and the relationship between commercial service spaces, production and work spaces, and residential spaces.
Considering a feasibility study on the Voyageur block.
(From the jury's report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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