THE CITY WHERE YOU ARE THE HERO
A STORY WHERE THE CITY IS THE HERO
The city of Laval is experiencing a key moment in its history: a new heart wants to come to life. How can we embody this project and translate it into a real living environment? This process, of which Creative Metamorphoses is the prologue, is the main thread of a narrative that is already operating. It draws the perspective of a new urbanity. A city that is first and foremost sensitive to life as a link and as a balance to be created and preserved between humans, their environment and nature. The strength of this vision is to integrate the very idea of transformation between the past, the present and the future, a universal theme that echoes the changing world, shaken by global and social challenges. These challenges call for action. Making the city today means asking the question of the future world to be built.
In the meeting of our expertise in creative architecture, landscape architecture, lighting, urban design, art and culture, we propose to develop a methodology of evolutionary and participative intervention, with citizens, in the urban environment in transformation. This project aims to organize an overall vision of the urban fabric and types of spaces in the developing area, their role and relationship to create a coherent living environment through time, while adjusting to the concerns of the environment and the changing economic, political and social context. The concept and its guiding principles will guide future interventions while encouraging and accompanying creative appropriation by designers, developers, artists, institutions and citizens over the long term. This progressive and extensive involvement becomes in itself a lever for the development of the neighborhood as a complete and dynamic living environment whose resilient and responsible character becomes an attraction.
Freely adapted from the tree-like form of the book-game, this proposal aims to stimulate and accompany the emergence of a singular identity through the convergence of the proposed paths, all responding to the same vitalization mission. It is based on the idea that all citizens and actors of the urban territory - residents, associations, community groups, corporations, institutions, elected officials, project owners, designers, entrepreneurs - have a role to play in the emergence and realization of the full development potential of the downtown area. It also makes it possible to imagine the interventions as chapters or parts of a story that city dwellers will discover differently depending on their journey. From a narrative standpoint, the concept formulates a mission in which the city itself is, in short, the main heroine: Laval is regenerating itself, with the citizens and actors of its transformation, it is writing history, its own and perhaps more. It is innovating through its extensive participatory processes and its quest for an urbanity that reconciles people and their environment. It is becoming a model.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Qualities of the proposal:
- The title of the service is evocative and the idea that we can think of the city as an open book is interesting.
- The diversity of the proposed modules, which can be adapted to different contexts and site configurations, is noteworthy.
- The premises of the narrative (the writer and the stories) are promising, but are not translated into intentions. The jury notes a lack of synergy between the strong artistic vision and the architectural transposition.
- The narrative framework is expressed more through a consultation process than a narrative statement leading to strong design directions.
Formal qualities:
- The first intervention completely assumes the formal language of the transformation (visual code of the construction site through scaffolding and canvases).
- On the other hand, this formal language may not be a desirable visual orientation in the medium or long term.
- The first intention tints too much a concept that may not be adapted to the scale of the downtown and can hardly contribute to the emergence of a distinct signature.
- The formal directions for the medium to long term are not clear. What will be the narrative and visual design thread?
Experiential and perceptual qualities:
- The delivery makes it difficult to understand the moods that will be put forward for future interventions.
Social and cultural qualities:
- The strategy of tactical urbanism is interesting and provides insights for transformation into perennial interventions.
- The participatory processes with citizens and actors in the transformation of the city are a strength of the concept.
- The performance does not allow to understand how citizen participation will be ensured, nor if it will continue in the perennial interventions.
Functional qualities and feasibility:
- Through the use of a standard system available on the market, technical feasibility is demonstrated.
- Doubts are raised about the financial feasibility of the first intervention. The graphic rendering makes the scale of the intervention difficult to understand. Depending on the scale, budget could be an issue, given some of the technical challenges (wind resistance, 5-year life span of the canvases, strength required for public safety, etc.).
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
9 scanned / 9 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
- Perspective
- Site Plan
- Schema
- Schema
- Schema
- Schema
- Schema
