Montréal, September 18, 2009—Saint-Laurent Borough Council adopted a resolution confirming the jury’s selection of four finalists in the architectural competition for Saint-Laurent’s new library. The selection concludes Phase 1 of the competition.
The four finalists
The Borough of Saint-Laurent received 28 applications for the competition. After studying the submissions, the competition jury selected four finalists on the basis of the evaluation criteria set out in the competition’s rules.
The four finalists are, in alphabetical order:
• ACDF* architecture (Allaire Courchesne Dupuis Frappier architectes)/ SNC Lavalin/CLA ingénieurs
• Cardinal Hardy/Labonté Marcil/Éric Pelletier Architectes en consortium/ Leroux Beaudoin Hurens et associés inc./SDK et associés inc.
• Chevalier Morales Architectes/Les Architectes FABG/Tecsult-AECOM inc.
• Provencher Roy + associés/Anne Carrier Architectes en consortium/Les consultants S.M. inc./Bouthillette Parizeau et associés inc.
The jury met in Saint-Laurent on September 14 and 15, 2009, in keeping with the competition timetable. The seven members chose a jury chair from among themselves, with Lise Bissonnette, journalist, author and former CEO of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, being selected.
In addition to Ms. Bissonnette, the jury consisted of (in alphabetical order):
- Jean-Pierre Chupin, PhD, full professor, architect and scientific director of the Laboratoire d’étude de l’architecture potentielle (LEAP) at Université de Montréal
- Marie-Claude Le Sauteur, architect, representing the Borough of Saint-Laurent;
- Claude Létourneau, architect
- Éric Paquet, urban planner, representing the Borough of Saint-Laurent;
- Peter Soland, architect and landscape architect
- Lise Tremblay, architect and LEED-accredited professional
Next step
During Phase 2, the four finalists will be asked to produce a design sketch/concept. The jury will meet again in December 2009 to choose the winning project, which it will then recommend to Borough Council.
Description of project
The new building, scheduled to open at the end of 2012, will be firmly anchored in the 21st century and designed in keeping with the highest quality standards. The library will serve as a cultural hub that strengthens the existing recreational-civic vocation of Boulevard Thimens. Green, multi-faceted and designed to a human scale, the library will fill a long-standing need of the Saint-Laurent community.
In compliance with Montréal's policy on sustainable development for municipal buildings, adopted in June 2009, the new building is aiming to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) “Gold” certification.
Partners
The project is receiving financial support from the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine (Quebec’s ministry of culture, communications and the status of women) and the Ville de Montréal under the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal 2008-2011 (2008-2011 agreement on Montréal’s cultural development).
(Source: Ville de Montréal - 09/18/09 news release)