Collectif Poncelet/Pariseau/Pelletier
Dominic Poncelet
Kim Pariseau
Étienne Pelletier
Montréal, Québec
LOOP
The jury appreciates this proposal’s strongly affirmed idea to reveal and interpret the site’s underground portions, made up of transportation infrastructures: the métro and expressway. It is particularly conveyed by the plan to install lighting and a metaphorical soundscape in the square that would reflect underground vehicle flows. The proposed surface is made up of superimposed strata that would enable programmatic use—still to be determined—of the various street fronts. At this stage, the concept leaves room for other interventions on the adjacent heritage buildings. The strata unfurl to merge with an expansive building that would close off the square at the western end of the site, giving it an initial built façade that would be a striking contemporary architectural statement. The proposed structure, even though it is fairly imposing, is meant to create formal harmony with the comparatively high Palais de justice building—a balanced tower/bar relationship. The new construction would function as an extension of the west-to-east sequence of existing buildings: Place Bonaventure, the Caisse de dépôt and the Palais des congrès. The building, a powerful statement about this east-west (transverse) urban context, would frame a public space in front of Champ-de-Mars and offer significant usage potential—for example, for municipal or public services.