Formal Language: Paisley to mend the urban fabric
Every Oasis is a vital space that acts as a refuge from the rigors of the vast, arid environments that encompass them. The notion of an oasis is an inescapable reference to water, its necessity, its scarcity as well as its immeasurable value and the need to preserve and maximize the use of this resource for the benefit of all. The Namur/Jean-Talon district presents a similar aridity within a disjointed built fabric. For us, the present competition is a unique opportunity to make a clearly identifiable and unequivocal urbanistic gesture in respect with sustainable development and for the good of future generations.
The watery element can take many forms. It can be liquid, solid, vaporous. It can be flakes, drops, drizzles. Water evokes "fluidity", "meanders" or "paths". It is also so many surfaces, and expanses covered with variable and repeated movements. The water, as matter, moves linear or is contained punctually. These qualities applicable to water are also applicable to the "Paisley" motif (called "Boteh" or "Mankolam" in other cultures); a motif that resembles a stylized drop of water, but also the yin and yang and the cypress tree's antlers, symbol of life and eternity. The use of this serial pattern exists all around the globe, in all communities, some of them for a very long time. Long before it took the name of a Scottish town associated with the rise of the textile industry in Europe, this pattern was in common use in the Middle East as well as in Asia. Its widespread use in textile designs, screen printing and graphic arts makes it a recognizable symbol for citizens of all cultural and social backgrounds, a reality of the NJT sector. It evokes the interweaving of diverse but similar elements juxtaposed in a common fabric rich in textures and colors.
(Competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
OASIS project
This project pushes the idea of a large central park even further than the winning project. From the first stage, it became obvious to the jury that such an idea had to be defended, which militated in favor of choosing this proposal in the first stage of the competition. But the formulation proposed by this performance presents, for the jury, too great a risk, the drawing being already very precise and more difficult to transform. The framing qualities of the central public space of this proposal are probably the best of the lot. The public and the private complement each other particularly well, with a very good control of the urban morphology, which is accompanied by a rich reflection on the layout of the dwellings following a "European" model. The densification of the south wall of Paré Street and the contrasting accompaniment of Buchan Street by the park, strongly distinguish these two major streets of the Triangle. The resulting design is clear, elegant and inspiring. The topography of the park was also appreciated by the jury, with appropriation-sensitive designs. The high permeability of the pedestrian network was also highlighted.
However, while the qualities of the urban plan were applauded, the jury unanimously expressed reservations about the "disturbing aesthetics" of the designs, which rely on the repeated use of the Paisley motif, the relevance of which is questioned. But more importantly, the jury is concerned that the qualities of the performance rely heavily "on an architectural typology whose attributes we don't think we can control to this extent." There is a shared concern "that the park will not stand up to the pressures of development, if the typology does not follow." "The project is too dependent on a heavy real estate strategy." "The design seems too fixed." The design risks, for some, producing a rather banal suite of condominium buildings in the end. The large-scale, standardized building template is a fine gamble, "but it does little to encourage diversity and affordability unless special efforts are made by developers. It is not easy to achieve cross-sectional housing in such a large scale." For others, the large scale is not a problem, with multiple European examples demonstrating that a certain diversity of housing can be accommodated, while recognizing that the role of the public in the development is not the same in this case. Some members of the jury also pointed out that, compared to the winning proposal, this one requires the City to acquire several properties in the central part of the sector (five or six), which seriously affects its feasibility.
In the end, despite the interest it raised in terms of urban form and development of the idea, the jury felt that this proposal was too risky a gamble to justify its selection.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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