The project aims to reinforce Montreal's "cultural axis" by concentrating the architectural interventions along this axis in a symmetrical manner. The symbolic representation of Place des Arts should give an impression of elegance and refined classicism. The symmetrical reinforcement of the axis should accentuate this classical aspect. The project also aims to give the entrance to Place des Arts on Sainte-Catherine Street a greater material and symbolic presence, thus highlighting its public function and cultural importance. We propose a monumental scale construction that will reinforce the iconic status of Place des Arts, elucidating once and for all where the entrance to the complex is located.
The construction is a seamless multidisciplinary machine that we conceive as a canvas of infinite possibilities. The main element of the construction is a glass volume (18mm thick laminate) whose transparent panels without mullions are stacked in a manner not unlike shingles. Discreet custom steel fasteners are then applied only at the corner intersections of the glass panels, to further emphasize the thickness and weight of the glass. Two horizontal rows of high wattage fluorescent tubes, resting on each of the accessible platforms and placed between the structure and the glass, will illuminate the building during the evening. These tubes are connected to a programmable console that is easily controlled from the inside. This system will give Place des Arts the ability to present an infinite amount of nighttime light shows, ranging from the grandiose to the subtle.
The intention behind this system of interchangeable typography, images and artificial light is to provide Place des Arts with an open, interactive, urban-scale canvas with which to deliver non-commercial messages that reflect its highly cultural vocation. Echoing the connotations of grandeur and ceremony of the proverbial "red carpet", a "royal blue carpet" made of blue Brazilian granite will replace the drab concrete tiles that make up the floor surface facing the entrance to revitalize this area by infusing it with a sense of grandeur and festivity.
(From competitor's text)
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