The starting point of our reflection is the ambition of a Laval 2035, green and blue city! Another foundation is the April 2016 Development Plan, which defines the Downtown as an "L" shaped area, crossed by Highway 15. This downtown area is under construction, as evidenced by the effervescent construction around Espace Montmorency. In this perspective, the new aquatic complex, adjacent to the Cosmodôme and the future Armand-Frappier museum, is called upon to create a recreational-scientific pole in return - we will call it the Espace Carrefour.
By 2035, the imposing Lagacé quarry -now called the Espace Carrière-, will finally have a metro station that will anchor the development of this consolidated civic pole (the Palais de justice is already there), halfway between the Espace Montmorency and the Espace Carrefour. This civic hub, an extension of the biotech sector and Boulevard du Souvenir, could bring together municipal services, sector parking, library, galleries, and an agora hosting cultural events or horticultural fairs and markets, with the spectacular quarry landscape as a backdrop.
At the scale of downtown Laval (ESPACES MONTMORENCY, CARRIERE ET CARREFOUR), the project constitutes an important portion of a new urban forest that runs along the southern and northern strips of Highway 15, from de la Concorde Boulevard to the Jean-Noël Lavoie Highway. It consolidates the plant presence and identity of this area and reduces noise pollution. This urban forest would include the biotechnology sector, the former Lagacé quarry, shopping centers, the Cosmodôme and the future aquatic complex. It would join two school parks: Laval-Catholic and Gerry-Dattilio and would be traversed by a bicycle path, itself using the highway overpasses and joining Place Bell and Montmorency metro.
The development of the site of the aquatic complex and the Cosmodôme is the first milestone in this structuring urban initiative. It also allows for the enhancement of Terry Fox Avenue at the entrance points.
Preserving the existing wooded area in its entirety, the new aquatic complex backs onto the Cosmodôme; with its simple but intriguing shape, it is a heliotropic "luminous monolith".
Its volumetry, made of translucent and high-performance glass walls, rises towards the highway and constitutes a landmark in the path of motorists. The Complex becomes alternately more mysterious when glimpsed through the wooded area, then urban and inviting from Terry Fox Avenue where the recreational pool can be seen through the large screen-printed curtain wall.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
The jury recognizes the quality of the urban analysis provided, accompanied by explanatory texts and diagrams; however, the architectural proposal is in line with the other services and the solution is not innovative. The creation of a park and the implantation aligned with the sun and taking advantage of the protection of the wooded area, are good environmental strategies. The work on the natural levels of the land has allowed the integration of the parking in half-tier, a very effective solution. The 'Las Vegas' party expressed in the vision and text was translated into the exterior envelope, made of highly technical opalescent material, more than in the interior experiences. The monolithic volumetry is very present on the side of the highway due to the inclination of the volume. The only proposal to be attached to the Cosmodôme, this concept allows the city side entrance to be paired with the entrance to the parking lot in a common hall, a successful convergence point. But the city-side esplanade is less convincing and inviting because the entrance is very far from the street, in addition to being connected to the loading dock. The compact plan, of fairly simple construction, contributes to the desired energy efficiency. This large volume with a wood ceiling houses the three pools in a row; however, they are not visible from the common lobby or the corridor leading to the locker rooms.
This proposal addresses all of the evaluation criteria.
The jury recognizes the great qualities of this concept and the strength of the design choices. This proposal clearly demonstrates the team's expertise in aquatic, urban and environmental design. Among its strengths, the team's choice to enhance the wooded area, the creative landscape treatment, its scenographic potential, the passive performance such as the treatment of runoff water and the natural plant filter, the treatment of parking and the efficient functional organization.
The integration of sustainable development criteria into the concept is well demonstrated; thermal comfort for bathers, control of luminosity in the envelope, high-performance envelope material.
At the urban level, the continuity of the "Strip", typical of Laval, is very strong and its visibility from the highway meets expectations.
The jury deplores the fact that the triple and grouped entrance is found in an interstitial space, wedged between two strong buildings; it is not an interesting and welcoming civic space. Its positioning in relation to the interior functions is disappointing because it does not allow a reading of the building's vocation. The location of the landing leads to an undesirable access on Terry Fox Street.
The monolithic formal party combined with the problem of the entrance, contribute to make it an introverted building, more significant at night than during the day.
Their project is the result of an analysis of the site and proposes the urban message desired by the city; with its industrial-style interior approach, it is a project that is more analytical than oriented towards the client's experience. It is a safe bet technically because of its structural simplicity and its choice of pool. However, despite the depth of the urban and technical reflection, this project does not stand out in terms of its location, its community signature and its potential for aquatic innovation. Architecturally, the scale of the monolith offers a grand gesture for the highway, not for the users. Much of the exterior design relies on the development of the wooded area, which was out of program as the city did not want to develop it as a park.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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