Projectual principles:
"...the project is not formal, but processual, that is, it does not seek to arrive at a "composed" form from which nothing could be subtracted or added, but at a form that we would say is "open." Jacques Lucan
Far from aesthetic or stylistic considerations, we seek first to identify the potentialities offered by the program. Our primary objective is to infuse the MAC with a social and cultural vision and dynamic, in which the visitor has an active role. Our basic material remains the particularities of the site and the existing building to be transformed. The ascending spatial extension installs a promenade and the activities of the museum. The section generates the project.
Urban premises
The public spaces of the city, the new hall of the MAC, as well as the circulation spaces and other public places are treated in continuity with the adjacent city. The city enters the museum and the museum settles in the city.
- To propose an active urban installation likely to transform and "trigger situations";
- To affirm a new identity, a fiction in which the architecture is inserted in a spirit of coherence and dialogue;
- To preserve the characteristic elements of the place as concrete signs of the evolution and durability of the community it represents;
- To support and expose to the neighborhood (QoS) the activities of the museum, on all its exposed sides;
- To install a new presence in the city; the need for an "obviousness", a "simplicity" that manifests both its cultural status and its purpose of wonder, questioning and amazement.
In an urban environment in which the neighbouring buildings each assert an iconic personality, the new Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal must sustain a strong and unique presence, based on a "simplicity". The essence of a coherent materiality and volumetry is the basis of our approach, beyond a certain ambient cacophony. The unity of the whole is expressed by a sober modenature and especially by the capacity of the architecture to "hold the public space".
Large white precast concrete panels polished with stainless steel inserts envelop the new volumetry. The colonnade on the Place des Festivals is reshaped by replacing the precast concrete cladding with polished aluminum "blades".
They bring more finesse to the whole while supporting its kinetic character. The exterior arcade, currently unused, is dedicated to circulation and interior appropriation for visitors. The upper gallery-window, an expression of the exposed movement towards the Place des Festivals, as well as the polished aluminum underside of the cantilevered exhibition volume contribute to the playful and eventful expression of the site.
The main transgression to the purity of the basic volume, two floating silk-screened glass planes "stand out" to the east to receive projections. On the Esplanade, a new pleated glass wall participates in a contemporary dialogue with those of the Wilfrid-Pelletier, Maisonneuve and OSM halls.
Spatial catalyst
Our initial desire to "provoke situations" is based on a programmatic vision. This approach, while being based on the initial data, requires a questioning privileging a logic and a relevance of the uses. The objective is to offer a scope that meets the aspirations of the MAC, within the restricted framework of constraints linked to the existing building, the urban setting and the budget. This vision is based first and foremost on the desire * to liberate open and flexible spaces, accessible and without control.
It is fundamental to give to see and understand the spatial organization. The interior voids contribute to the establishment of the necessary steps back to understand the programmatic stratification of the place. This opening up of space and free, intuitive and playful movement facilitates the understanding and appropriation of places, the free movement of people, chance encounters and above all unexpected discoveries: they install a new interior landscape.
"In parallel to the work of the plan and the section, we have in mind that we are an individual who puts himself at the scale of the project, who enters the project, who puts himself a little in the listening of the space and who will receive the light, perceive views, react in a sensual way with regard to the conceived space " Christine Edeikins
"Public Living Room
Beyond the conventional architectural "composition", we propose an open and non-hierarchical approach, in which movement and public areas are subtly superimposed on the malleable and flexible space of exhibition spaces. Between the "explicit" of the exhibition spaces, workshops, auditorium and the "implicit" of the public uses; hall, café, store AND the transitional space to the exhibitions is introduced the space of "the in-between". Place of movement and discovery, it allows the understanding of the space and its uses and offers a synthetic vision of the space. The reception area, this space both within and between, defines the identity of the museum. In the new MAC, the hall becomes a "Public Living Room": it is the place of architectural emotion.
The large interior void, an event space par excellence, allows maximum public occupation and creates transparency between the different levels and towards the urban context. This large linear hall develops horizontally from the main reception on Ste-Catherine to the exhibition spaces at the end of the block. This atrium, qualified by a framework and an engineered wood curtain wall, houses the sculptural staircases and a panoramic elevator. Open to the Esplanade, this space stages the exhibition spaces as well as all the public uses of the museum. It thus becomes a dynamic and appropriable place open to the city. Works of art can be created, exhibited or hung there. In addition to the main hall and the underground promenade of the Place-des-Arts, this agora is accessible through a new entrance on the Place des Festivals and from the Esplanade.
In order to enhance the public space of the museum as much as possible, while respecting the needs of the spaces dedicated to exhibitions, we propose a spatial organization in which the latter are concentrated on the upper levels. Thus, a succession of public platforms extend vertically from the basement to level 3, independently of the controlled exhibition spaces.
On the main plateau, located on the first floor, a series of "attractors" act as devices for appropriating the museum space. The grand exterior staircase is remodeled to extend into the museum's lobby with bleachers that can be used for the café and allow access to the podium, in continuity with the Esplanade. This café opens generously towards the entrance square. A store and bookstore are also oriented in front. A separate access is provided for the latter and for the entrance of visitors to the staircase housed in a void revealing the main area of the workshops. This void provides generous natural light and views from the Place des Festivals. At the heart of the project, a series of bleachers and a floor void towards the basement become a support for public projections and give access to the exhibition gallery of the studios and the auditorium. A double-height event area, located at the crossroads of the two access axes to the atrium, is designed to accommodate various events, artistic performances and others. The exhibition spaces on the Esplanade level act as balconies over this theatrical space.
The "Maker Space" principle would be applied to the design of the post-competition project. The appropriation, participation, flexibility and rapid evolution of technologies require special attention during the design and realization process. We propose a collaborative approach that leaves room for the voice of the users, curators and clients.
Environmental and sustainable development approach
A controlled-breathing, south-facing envelope allows for the recovery of solar energy in winter, and protection from glare and overheating in summer. A glass wall integrates solar protection and hybrid ventilation components, both natural and mechanized. The choice of local solid wood materials and low energy processes allows us to meet the highest standards.
(Competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Pros:
- The development of the proposed public square on the St. Catherine side of the forecourt contributes to the animation of the site.
- This project is a good response to the foyers of the Place des Arts halls facing the Esplanade. - Proposed an interesting dialogue between the Esplanade and Jeanne Mance Street.
- Good understanding and application of the program.
- The flexibility of the space is an asset for the operation of the museum.
- The visitor's experience at the MAC is greatly improved.
- The democratization of the premises through its two entrances (Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine) is appreciated.
- The location of the restaurant on the Place des Festivals is a judicious choice for increasing the number of visitors to the museum.
- The project is welcoming, convivial and "lived in".
- The project presents elaborate and well-defined measures.
- Good analysis and understanding of the issues.
- The proposed concept is clear.
- The integration of interior bleachers in continuity with the exterior bleachers is an attractive gesture.
- Innovative PCI proposal
- The opening onto the Esplanade allows a pause in the visitor's museum journey.
- Reassuring project in terms of the proposed interventions.
- The important integration of wood in the interior spaces is appreciated.
Cons:
- The presence of the pleated wall on the Esplanade was not unanimously approved by the jury.
- The development of an entrance on Jeanne-Mance Street makes the museum's operations more complex.
- The positioning of the educational workshops in the basement is not an optimal use of the space.
- The architectural treatment is articulated but lacks overall coherence. The architectural vocabulary is loaded and "talkative". Many elements are added to an already saturated environment, particularly on the Jeanne Mance Street side.
Reservations:
- Feasibility to be validated by a value analysis.
- Validate the treatment in front of the main entrance
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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