Stage 1
PHI is alive. Simple, abstract, bold and beautiful, PHI is an active project, whose story is being told in real time. Its form should never be fully crystallized. As much as possible, it needs to remain open and in permanent transformation.
Instead of proposing a new building, we are proposing a new infrastructure, where a variety of events can take place. Artists need to take possession of all the spaces in surprising and unexpected ways. In this spirit of appropriation, no space should be off limits. Everything is fairplay. It is conceived as a simple and solid framework, a contemporary platform for artists and curators, a window onto our contemporary world.
Stage 2
PHI IS ALIVE
Simple and bold, PHI is an active project, whose story is being told in real time. Its form should never be fully crystallized. As much as possible, it needs to remain open and in permanent transformation. Instead of proposing a new building, we are proposing a new infrastructure, where a variety of events can take place. Artists need to take possession of all the spaces in surprising and unexpected ways. In this spirit of appropriation, no space should be off limits. Everything is fairplay. It is conceived as a simple and solid framework, a contemporary platform for artists and curators, a window onto our contemporary world.
AN OPEN FIELD
At the core of the project is a public space, an open field, similar to a city street. This space is intentionally left open and un-programmed, freed of any pre-defined functions. In contrast with most traditional museums, PHI is made up of multiple in between spaces that run between inside and outside. The exhibition spaces themselves are also extremely varied. The result is a multilayered landscape of rooms and spaces, all connected to one another by this public space, a forum where conversations on contemporary culture can take place.
A PUBLIC PLATFORM
The platform spans across the entire site, connecting all the elements of the program. Open and inviting, it acts as a window into the world of PHI. The limit between public and private is intentionally undefined. The structure, the courtyard, the tree, the stairs and the terrasse are all visible from the street, allowing passers-by to appreciate the site's multiple layers from the outside and reinforcing PHI's mission as a truly public institution. The existing structures suddenly take on another dimension. Instead of seeing only the street facades, we now see them from all sides, exposing traces of history and telling the story of the site in a unique way.
INSIDE/OUTSIDE, UNDER/OVER
Multiple levels of public interaction activate the program. There is no predetermined sequence to experience PHI. The project offers various sequences, itineraries which allow visitors to experience the program in different ways every time. This concept is essential to the vision of PHI. Artists and curators can take possession of the spaces in innumerable ways, adapting the experience to the story they wish to tell. The core of PHI's public functions (cafe, bar, co-working, educational spaces, public tribunes, etc) are kept above ground, engaging directly with the street and the neighborhood, while the main exhibition spaces are kept underground, in controlled environments, with some exhibition spaces emerging above with views onto the courtyard and the city. Depending on the program or the event, visitors can either enter PHI from below the platform in the cafe and the entrance foyer, or from the front courtyard which leads them directly up to the large roof terrasse.
Stage 3
We carefully reviewed the project with our partners in order to reinforce the general concept, refine specific elements and integrate building strategies. A main objective was to strengthen the public character of the project as stages and landscapes by generating direct universal access from the rue Bonsecours to the terrace and to Maison Viger. A universally accessible 1/12 ramp wraps around the widened front garden patio which at night is closed off by a simple roll down screen fence. The front garden patio was also raised, limiting access from below the platform and adding volume to the planted area below. The loading area and bicycle parking were pushed back and closed off, allowing visitors and staff to move safely through this area. Making the connection to the street more direct through a raised ground floor level, Maison Viger now acts as an integral porte cochère that brings visitors deep inside the project all the way into the rear courtyard.
Maison Calvet, Davies Store, Maison Viger, each historical building becomes a different part of the new ensemble, each with their own designation and proper entrance from the street alongside two new entrances on rue Bonsecours generated by the horizontal structure made of two galvanized steel beams holding a transparent glazing. While Maison Calvet will show the historical dimensions and proportions of the floor sections, Maion Viger in contrast embodies public territory marked by the morphology of the site with its deep stonewalled parcels. Its historical facade becomes a threshold between past and future, linking Old Montréal with PHI Contemporary.
(From competitor's text)
Stage 1
A very elegant proposal. The gesture is very strong and demonstrates a clear logic while remaining very poetic. Well- articulated and flexible strategy that is consistent with the mission of PHI Contemporary.
The creation of a platform on 3 levels allows a good resolution of the public domain (by its connection to the public life of the city through the entrances and exterior spaces) while offering diversified spaces for artists and encouraging interactions of all kinds.
The proposal demonstrates a good understanding of the site. The slope of the site is well articulated and the plateau provides a sense of the site as a whole.
The plateau, with its old and new urban objects, brings a unique dimension to the project. However, the detailed design of this elevated public space will have to take into account the constraints/relations with of the surrounding urban fabric, which includes residential buildings. Similarly, security, climatic, and seasonal consideration s will have to be carefully studied in order to evidence the optimal potential of this spatial logic.
Stage 2
In general, the jury appreciates :
· The intelligence and sensitivity that led to the development of a very well mastered concept that demonstrates a very good understanding of the site, shapes it brilliantly and proposes an architecture that is less a building than a new public space that gives back to the city;
· The way in which heritage has come to guide the overall concept and the successful integration that results from the relationship between historic buildings and new interventions;
· The importance given to the public character of this proposal, which is in line with PHI Contempory's desire to invite the public to actively participate in its activities.
Regarding the development of the architectural concept, the jury emphasizes:
· The interest in carrying out a detailed analysis of the constraints related to the design of the elevated plateau: security, neighborhood, climatic constraints, etc;
· The need for further reflection on all aspects of the design of the exhibition spaces, the presentation of the various art forms, the satisfaction of the needs of the artists, curators and technicians and, ultimately, the public's encounter with art and artists;
· The importance of taking into account all the comments contained in the technical committee's report, concerning, among other things, circulation, universal accessibility and materiality.
Stage 3
Summary of the jury's comments during the deliberations
A project that brings something new to Montreal in the landscape of institutional architecture. The creation of the roofscape platform constitutes a new public space dedicated to art, public and cultural activities that PHI Contemporain can generously offer to the city, while expanding the possibilities of the institutional 'parcours'. The project enriches the urban experience and leads to a rediscovery of Old Montreal by offering a new type of infrastructure/landscape for the public's engagement with art, culture and the city.
A playful space that creates social links, a place for the discovery of art accessible to all, a very flexible performance space, this platform has the potential to become a laboratory of diversified experiences that are very stimulating for artists.
Very elegant proposal with a strong poetic potential and presenting very rich architectural solutions. The articulation of the exhibition galleries is in keeping with the spirit of PHI Contemporain. The organization of the spaces is very clear while presenting a theatricality, fluidity and flexibility that can generate a rich programmatic diversity.
The horizontality of the façade is a strong point of the concept. However, how the street presence is articulated is not yet fully resolved and the idea of the ramp as a solution for street activation raises questions.
The heritage approach is coherent but might be challenged by municipal and heritage authorities.
(From jury report)
