Infrastructural exchange
Connecting the educational, political and cultural institutions of Quebec
The Laval School site is challenging because of the extreme density of buildings and steep topography. A third layer of complexity is the UNESCO designation of the old City as being worthy of preservation. The old City serves as both the political and cultural center of the city; a well photographed scene of the old City from across the river reveals that there are a variety of landmarks already taking prominence. If the existing field of urban objects (buildings, streets, walls) cannot be modified due to historic preservation and is crowded with individual objects vying for visual dominance, then that field must be redefined for a new object to enter and strengthen the existing network of objects. A superstructure that overarches all existing structures aerially is unacceptable since the structure becomes the dominant object in the urban landscape. A subterranean structure, however, has the ability to strengthen the existing urban network of objects with minimal invasiveness while itself being immune to topography, weather and the existing density of objects. Successful subterranean networks already exists the Underground City in Montreal and PATH in Toronto, which cross the implied boundaries of public-private, circulation-destination, utility-expression. I propose a fluid substructure that will both contain the needed programmatic expansion for the school and serve as an underground link to other important heritage sites nearby, providing a mutually held space for cross-institution exhibits and a platform for the school of architecture to exert itself as a stakeholder in the development of the old City.
(competitor's text)
14 scanned / 12 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Plan
- Section
- Section
- Drawing
