Like the medieval city of Quebec, the Vieux Port de Quebec Bassin Louise is comprised primarily of three major architectonic elements - tower, walls, squares. Arranged in a romantic composition to recall the medieval city, these objects appear as random fragments on the site. The scale of the elements has been increased to suit the monumental nature of the neighbouring industrial and civic buildings. The detail and form of the elements has been simplified to provide an architecture more appropriate to the impending 21st century. The materials and texture of the elements has been exaggerated to reinforce both their revised scale and modern prismatic quality.
The towers are conceived as vertical extrusions of varying height between 18 and 25 storeys. They are very slender as they accommodate only two, three, or four studio or one bedroom units per floor. As the units enjoy views in as many as three directions, the towers are clad entirely in glass. The glazing grid varies from building to building and with the combination of direct glass will create a wide variety of colourful patterns. The towers sit on enclosed podia which provide an entrance lobby and secure indoor parking at grade as well as a private recreation facilities on their roofs.
The walls are conceived as horizontal extrusions of varying length. They are three, four, or five storeys high and accommodate conventional two, three, and four bedroom townhouse units of varying widths. The grade level of these buildings is devoted to a common indoor driveway and private garage parking for the residents. Depending on the design of the individual units, roof gardens and/or recessed balconies are provided. The front and rear long walls of these buildings are each clad in a different type, texture, or colour of masonry unit - brick, fieldstone, granite, marble, flagstone, glazed block, etc. The punched window openings are intentionally of various size, shape, and seemingly random placement. The end walls are entirely glazed.
The Promenade Abraham Martin, circumnavigating the shore of the Bassin Louise, is interrupted by a number of public gathering places whichm in plan, are conceived literally as squares. The commercial facility to the southeast of the site provides a partially covered square, paved with textured glass block and sub-lit, for dining and dancing in fine weather, as well as a wooden raft-like floating square with the Island Bar located on it. The Market Square is paved with a grid of rough granite and appears to cantilever precariously over the water's edge. Vendors may drive across the Square to their allotment while pedestrians will arrive either by the footbridge, from the parking lot, or along the Promenade. In winter the Square might provide a platform for snow sculpture or be flooded as an ice skating rink. The Recreation Facility is located adjacent to an outdoor square of pink veined marble for exercising, relaxing, and enjoying the view. As mentioned previously, the square podia of the towers provide outdoor facilities for their residents.
These elements, towers, walls, and squares, correspond, furthermore, with the three primary components of architecture - columns, beams, and slabs.
(From competitor's text)
Good guide plan, the recalling of the geometry of the grain elevators opens a viewpoint on the basin from the city. Good effort towards making use of views.
Certain interesting elements at the head of the basin.
(From jury report)
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