PROJECT Maisonneuve Library, restoration and extension

ARCHITECT EVOQ Architecture

PROJECT Octogone Library, transformation and extension

ARCHITECT Anne Carrier Architecture in consortium with Les architectes Labonté Marcil

TEXT Odile Hénault

PHOTOS Adrien Williams

Late last spring, as I was lining up outside Montreal’s Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, waiting for the doors to open, I started a casual conversation with the person nearest me. At one point, totally out of the blue, she asked: “Have you visited Montreal’s new libraries?” Before I had a chance to answer, she went on: “You know, they are the result of architectural competitions. A great system!” I couldn’t help laughing and thinking this was the moment I had long been waiting for… The word was spreading! The news was reaching the public! 

Over the past three decades, the Quebec government has gradually set in place an enviable competition system for cultural buildings—that is, museums, theatres, interpretation centres, and libraries. It results from a policy adopted in June 1992 by the province’s Ministry of Culture, which aimed at “holding public competitions for cultural facility projects presented by municipalities and organizations and produced with the assistance of government grants, the cost of which is over $2 million” (Ministère de la Culture du Québec, La politique culturelle du Québec, 1992). 

A new cultural landscape

Thanks to this policy, a new cultural landscape has gradually emerged across Quebec’s major cities as well as in its smaller municipalities. Competitions have been behind the design of at least 16 theatres, 20 museums of various sizes, and numerous interpretative pavilions. As far as libraries are concerned, the wave of competitions started in 2001 with the small Bibliothèque de Châteauguay (by Atelier TAG with JLP architectes). Since then, more than 20 libraries were the object of competitions. Several of these new cultural institutions have gone on to win awards, and to be covered in journals such as Canadian Architect. 

The benefits to the public are obvious, even though the average Montrealer (with the exception of my theatre-going friend) is mostly unaware of the competition process at work. Needless to say, architects have gained a lot from this policy, which has allowed them to explore ideas and concepts they might not have been able to address in a standard RFP system.  

Two competitions 

It is often presumed that while design competitions may be suitable for new-builds, the complexities of additions and renovations put them out of reach for competitions. However, the contrary is proving to be the case: quite a few of Quebec’s library competitions have been for additions or the quasi-total transformation of existing buildings. 

This is the case for two recently-inaugurated amenities in Montreal: the Maisonneuve Library and L’Octogone both fit into this latter category. They are also among the largest of the city’s 45 branch public libraries, including seven that were the objects of architectural competitions. Both Maisonneuve and L’Octogone existed as libraries before 2017, when separate competitions were launched to renovate and expand them. 

The Maisonneuve Library

The Maisonneuve Library is a rather unique case, since it is sited in a historic City Hall—part of a grand City Beautiful plan carried by a few enlightened entrepreneurs, who developed this sector of Montreal at the turn of the 20th century. Opened in 1912, their new City Hall only filled its role for a short period as the heavily indebted Cité de Maisonneuve was amalgamated to Montreal in 1918. The Beaux-Arts building, designed by architect Louis-Joseph Cajetan Dufort, remained standing through the last century, relatively unaltered—thankfully—by its successive occupants. In 1981, it became part of Montreal’s public library network.

Four teams were selected to take part in the Maisonneuve Library competition: in situ atelier d’architecture + DMA architects; Saucier + Perrotte/DFS inc.; Chevalier Morales Architectes; and Dan Hanganu architectes + EVOQ Architecture. All four teams are considered to be among Quebec’s most creative architectural firms, a reputation they acquired mostly through competitions. They were paid the pre-tax sum of $82,000 to take part in the competition, a sum which was included in the winning team’s eventual contract. 

The challenge for the four teams was to triple the size of the 1,240-square-metre original facility with a contemporary intervention that would pay homage to the former City Hall. The Hanganu-EVOQ team had a definite advantage, EVOQ being one of very few offices in Quebec with a strong expertise in heritage preservation. Their parti was therefore centred on restoring the historic building (then in an advanced state of disrepair) to its original splendour, and treating it as a jewel inserted at the centre of a sober, contemporary composition. The alignment of the new curtain walls and the rhythm of a brise-soleil took their cues from the existing neoclassical colonnade.

On the exterior, stone façades and monumental doors were carefully restored. On the interior, similar attention was paid to the original plaster mouldings, wood panelling, and mosaic floors. The former piano nobile’s marble staircase and its two imposing stained-glass features were painstakingly restored by a team of remarkable artisans, who still work using traditional construction methods. 

Every effort was made by EVOQ—which now includes the late Dan Hanganu’s former team—to ensure the library would be fully accessible to all. This led to the design of a circular entrance pavilion, projecting from the east wing. An architectural promenade takes one from the new entrance, through the historic building, and onwards to the west wing. A sheer delight. The subtly handled transition points between old and new celebrate the original 1900s monument and the skill of its builders.

Slightly less convincing is the west wing’s shelf wall, visible from Ontario Street. It reflects an influence from Sou Fujimoto Architects’ Musashino Art University Museum & Library in Tokyo (2010), with its striking wooden shelving doubling as wall structure. In both cases, aesthetics seem to have been chosen over utility as any books stored in these areas are challenging to access.

While intent on keeping alive the memory of the past, the local librarians simultaneously embraced the progressive outlook of the International Federation of Library Associations and Federations (IFLA). The Maisonneuve Library looks clearly to the future, particularly in its mission is to improve local levels of digital literacy. Gone are the administrative offices hidden away from the public: staff members wheel mobile stations around the building, plugging into a large array of floor outlets. The library’s offerings also now include a playful children’s area, a Media Lab, and a small roof garden. Silence is no longer the rule, except for in a few enclosed spaces. 

Octogone Library

Another major library competition was also launched in 2017: this one for Octogone Library, in a totally distinct environment situated towards the western tip of the Montreal Island. A suburban street pattern is prevalent in the borough and the site of the library is off a banal commercial strip. The area’s most interesting feature is perhaps the adjoining Parc Félix Leclerc, with its gentle landscape and large weeping willows. 

The original Octogone Library building was the outcome of decades-long advocacy efforts by the local community, which did, finally, lead to the government commitment for a public library in 1983. The following year, a low-scale, rather Brutalist building opened its doors to the public. The architects were Bisson, Hébert et Bertomeu. The long-awaited amenity was named Centre culturel de l’Octogone in reference to its role in the community and to its geometry. 

When the 2017 competition was launched for a renovation and addition to the existing building, the resulting proposals aimed to perpetuate the memory—and the name—of the 1984 building. Again, four teams were selected to participate in the competition: Atelier Big City with L’Oeuf; BGLA with Blouin Tardif architects; EVOQ Architecture with Groupe A; and finally, Anne Carrier architecture in consortium with Labonté Marcil, the winning team. The octagonal foundations were deemed solid enough to handle the loads of a new construction, but the existing walls presented competitors with a number of difficulties.

Carrier and Labonté Marcil’s entry was, as noted by the jury, a “vigorous” and “joyous” response to the program. The team had opted not to adhere too closely to the original octagonal plan and to refer instead to a far more significant symbol for LaSalle citizens, the 1827 Fleming Mill. The project’s most striking feature is a central helicoidal stair, or “hub”, which immediately attracts attention as one enters from either side of the new building. 

The second-level plan is laid out to evoke a mill’s three giant “blades” revolving around a central pivot, which culminates in a quiet, more secluded, circular space enlivened by an airy artwork. Produced by artist Karilee Fuglem, this piece alludes to L’Octogone’s extensive collection of graphic novels and comics—the largest such collection in Montreal’s library network.

Conclusion

While architectural competitions have yet to spread across Canada, Quebec can boast a rich repository of experience in this domain. At the end of three decades, and with dozens of projects successfully built through the competition process, the province’s landscape of libraries, theatres, and museums is obvious proof that competitions are worth the effort. 

Of course, there are improvements to be made. The process has gradually been burdened with overly complicated programmatic specifications—some preliminary documents are now up to several hundred pages long. The constraint of tight budgetary commitments in a highly volatile context can also seriously hinder creativity. But in the end, despite the need to revisit and simplify the process, a healthy competition culture has emerged, not just in Montreal and Quebec City, but all over the province. 

At 32 years old, Quebec’s architecture policy is entering middle-age, and it’s perhaps worth considering how it might be adjusted to prompt even more innovative, mature expressions of architecture. Can programs be loosened to allow for more daring concepts? Is there a place for open design competitions, creating opportunities for younger generations of architects? Despite some shortcomings experienced over the last three decades, Quebec has successfully put competitions to the test. And the rest of Canada could learn from it.

Odile Hénault is a contributing editor to Canadian Architect. She was the professional advisor for two pilot competitions that led to the adoption of the Quebec Ministry of Culture’s 1992 policy on architectural competitions.

Maisonneuve Library

CLIENTS Ville de Montréal and Arrondissement Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve | ARCHITECT TEAM EVOQ—Gilles Prud’homme, Sylvie Peguiron, Marianne Leroux, Georges Drolet, Nathan Godlovitch, Anne-Catherine Richard, Lynda Labrecque, Simona Rusu, Alexis Charbonneau | ARCHITECT (HISTORIC BUILDING, 1911) Louis-Joseph Cajetan Dufort | LANDSCAPE civiliti | ENVELOPE ULYS Collectif  | STRUCTURAL NCK | CIVIL Génipur | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Pageau Morel | ENVELOPE/QUALITY CONTROL UL CLEB | ELEVATOR EXIM | DOORS, HARDWARE SPECIALISTS ARD | COMMISSIONING Cima+ | FURNITURE/SIGNAGE/MULTIMEDIA GSMProject | ERGONOMICS Vincent Ergonomie | LIGHTING LightFactor | SUSTAINABILITY WSP | ACOUSTICS Octave | METAL/HISTORIC DOORS M&B Métalliers | MOSAIC Artès Métiers d’art | ORNAMENTAL PLASTERS Plâtres Artefact | MASONRY Maçonnerie Rainville et Frères | CONSERVATOR/MASONRY Trevor Gillingwater  | STONECUTTERS Alexandre, Tailleurs de pierres + sculpteurs | STAINED GLASS Studio du verre  | ARTIST (PUBLIC ART) Clément de Gaulejac | AREA 3,594 m2 | construction bUDGET $38.6 M | COMPLETION June 2023

Octogone Library

CLIENTS Ville de Montréal and arrondissement lasalle | ARCHITECT TEAM AC/A—Anne Carrier (FIRAC), Robert Boily, Martin L’Hébreux, Patricia Pronovost, Mathieu St-Amant, Andrée-Ève Gaudreault, Brenda Côté. LES ARCHITECTES LABONTÉ MARCIL IN CONSORTIUM—Pierre Labonté, Jean Marcil, Andréanne Gaudet, MICHEL DESMARAIS | Structural/mechanical/electrical EXP | LANDSCAPE Rousseau Lefevre  | INTERIORS Anne Carrier Architecture/les Architectes Labonté Marcil en consortium | CONTRACTOR Décarel | ergonomics VINCENT ERGONOMIE | acoustics Octave | SCENOGRAPHY GO MULTIMEDIA | aRTISTS (PUBLIC ART) CLAUDE LAMARCHE (1984), KARILEE FUGLEM (2024) | AREA 4,500 m2 | BUDGET $28.6 M | COMPLETION October 2024

As appeared in the November 2024 issue of Canadian Architect magazine

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Urbanarium has announced Decoding Density, the third installment of Canada’s largest affordable housing competition series, with prizes totalling $44,000.

Urbanarium‘s Decoding Density competition offers participants a chance to make an impact on the city they live in. The competition also aims to explore apartment designs that emphasize outdoor space, communal-oriented features, and low-energy approaches to comfort and livability, and will highlight and challenge current building codes.

“This is a unique chance for residents to help shape the very neighborhoods in which they live,” said Amy Nugent, executive director of Urbanarium, a charitable organization dedicated to engaging Metro Vancouver residents in urban planning. “Our ideas contests make real-world impacts — the Missing Middle and the Mixing Middle Competitions helped inform new legislation that requires local governments to update zoning bylaws allowing small-scale, multi-unit housing. Decoding Density is seeking to innovate building codes at a time when BC has just announced that they are reviewing building codes in order to make more homes for people faster.”

The competition is currently calling on participants to consider six-storey plus wood-frame structures. The form has several benefits including simple, low-carbon construction, less excavation for underground parking, better contextual fit in low density neighbourhoods, and less shadowing than condominium towers.

However, Urbanarium notes that there are several building code restrictions that make it difficult to build buildings that reflect the needs of individuals and families in present day.

“For example, cross-ventilation and access to sunlight are difficult to achieve within standard building footprints. Competition entrants are challenged to propose creative, liveable, and sociable housing forms, while highlighting the existing policies that are stopping their development,” said Urbanarium in a release.

The competition is open to students, young professionals, firms, and multidisciplinary teams worldwide. Final submissions may influence future policy changes and offer networking opportunities, such as a feature in Uytae Lee’s popular About Here series.

“We would like for the public to appreciate that the apartment buildings that are going to start appearing in their neighborhoods don’t need to be simple boxes that fail to optimize the value of their site but rather benefit from and contribute to their communities,” said Marta Farevaag, competition co-chair.

Early bird registration is open now through December 29, 2023, and the competition registration closes on January 19, 2024.

Submissions will be due on April 13, 2024, and the winners will be announced on April 16, 2024.

For more information, click here.

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Entries are currently being accepted for the K-Days Design Competition, hosted by Explore Edmonton Corporation, in partnership with MADE.

This competition is returning for the second year in a row to Edmonton’s popular summer fair, K-Days. This year’s theme is “Throwing Shade” and will provide entrants a chance to design a unique, temporary shading structure for the exhibition grounds and win a grand prize of $25,000.

Last year, the competition called for inspiring designs for unique street furniture at its annual K-Days fair and exhibition and was based on the theme of “Reimagining K-Days: Celebrating Summer in Our City.”

The grand prize was awarded to Edmonton-based firm OneTwoSix Design Inc. for their entry “Pop-upsicle” benches and tables that will provide a playful and Instagram-worthy setting for the summer festival site. They will be producing up to 20 of these designs for K-Days and other events hosted by Explore Edmonton.

K-Days began more than 130 years ago as the Edmonton Exhibition and was originally held by the Edmonton Agricultural Society at the original Fort Edmonton site. In the late 1800s, the exhibition was a celebration of technology and innovation and people travelled from all over to experience it and see the latest advances in agriculture, industry and science.

With rising interest in the Wild West as well as Alberta’s heritage in the 1960s, the exhibition expanded its focus to blend modern innovation with historical tribute. As a result, the exhibition was renamed “Klondike Days” as a nod to the history of the Canadian Gold Rush in Edmonton. Through the renaming of the exhibition to its current name, K-Days, the event has served as a gathering place and celebration of summer for Northern Alberta.

The deadline to submit an entry for this year’s competition is December 7, 2023.

For more information, click here.

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The winning installation of Benchmark 2023, called “Four Nesting Loops” by Thom Fougere of Montreal, Quebec, was recently unveiled in Victoria Beach, Manitoba.

The installation contains four aluminum seating loops in multiple sizes which are placed adjacent to a secluded Victoria Beach forest trail. This bench creates a serene space and invites visitors to connect with nature. The aluminum surface, which is subdued and sand-blasted, aims to capture the light through the surrounding forest canopy and connects the installation and its natural surroundings.

In his early career, Fougere drove the design of an international furniture manufacturer and established his own label. In 2010, he was appointed creative director of Canadian design house EQ3. Fougere crafted various product collections for the company and led the brand through a transformative global re-positioning which included designing EQ3’s New York flagship building.

This project was chosen as part of Benchmark, the international design competition organized by Storefront Manitoba and the Winnipeg Trails Association.

Victoria Beach was the chosen as the site for the 2023 edition to pay a tribute to the late David Penner, the founder and former Executive Director of Storefront Manitoba, who spent various summers there at the cottage with family and friends.

“It is an honour to be selected to design this installation. I’m deeply interested in our connection to nature and how to elevate life’s subtleties, which nature grants us but often goes unnoticed. The design of this installation aims to do just that, offering visitors the opportunity to connect with their surroundings and unplug in a secluded natural environment while using materials efficiently. A rather pragmatic, Prairie-minded approach, one I’m sure was shared by the late David Penner, for whom this bench will serve as a memorial,” said Thom Fougere.

A celebration took place on September 9, 2023, for the installation of the design. The project is located along the 8th to McCawley Trail, on the north edge of the Victoria Beach Golf Course.

The 1.3 km long trail is located on Treaty 1 land and is part of the Victoria Beach Trans Canada Trail and the Borders to Beaches Trail.

“This project is evocative and transcendent, like the forest itself. Its formal and spatial disposition and material simplicity, initially perceived as foreign objects in nature, are in fact universally familiar and engaging and invite ‘reflection and contemplation’ as its author suggests. The judicious placement of the 4 seating rings adjacent to the path and into the forest provides a sense of order and place,” said Eduard Epp, Benchmark jury member.

“The concentrically disposed rings signal growth and symbolically reference the passage of time echoed concretely by shadows cast from a tree within one or more of the rings. Similarly, David’s home and cottage incorporate wooden pathways that encircle trees along their path. The honed steel seating surfaces gather and reflect light and shade or leaves and snow as the seasons pass, making evident the natural cycles of growth, decay and renewal.”

“Four Nesting Loops” is the eighth installation completed as part of the Benchmark project with the support of several organizations which include Trails Manitoba and the Trans Canada Trail.

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Explore Edmonton and Media Architecture Design Edmonton (MADE) have recently announced the winning entry in this year’s Benchmarks design competition.

This year’s edition of Benchmark called for inspiring designs for unique street furniture at its annual K-Days fair and exhibition and was based on the theme of “Reimagining K-Days: Celebrating Summer in Our City.”

The grand prize was awarded to Edmonton-based firm OneTwoSix Design Inc. for their entry “Pop-upsicle” benches and tables that will provide a playful and Instagram-worthy setting for the summer festival site. They will be producing up to 20 of these designs for K-Days and other events hosted by Explore Edmonton.

OneTwoSix was inspired by the idea of enjoying popsicles on a hot summer day and noted that they “wanted to take the positive feelings associated with these experiences and amplify them in a vibrant and artistic form.”

OneTwoSix will also be incorporating a new recycled, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) panel invented by [re]Waste, a local manufacturer that developed these panels from local plastic waste products.

The jury was made up of Tara McCarthy (CBC), Tim Antoniuk (University of Alberta Industrial Design Professor),
Adrian Louden (Artist), Katelynn Schutz (MADE) and Kim Larson (Edify Magazine), and Corey Saban (technical
advisor from [re] Waste).

Cash prizes were awarded to two runners up; local landscape architect Kira Hunt of Adaptive EcoSystems, with
her Rhythm Lounger bench design and Calgary-based architecture firm, Hereby, with the Bon Bon bench
concept.

An award reception will be held during the opening of K-Days on July 20, 2023, and will feature an exhibition of all entry submissions. The benches will be on the K-Days grounds for the entire 10 days.

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The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), has announced the five selections of its SHIFT2023 Challenge, which focused on the theme of “Health and Architecture.” 

From community-based solutions that prioritize mental health to rethinking transit-oriented neighbourhoods, these honourees were selected by a jury of architects and health experts for showcasing the power of design thinking. This biennial OAA aspirational ideas competition recognizes the value of architecture in addressing societal issues. 

“We are thrilled to reveal the five outstanding selections for this year’s SHIFT Challenge,” said Settimo Vilardi, OAA President. “As members of the architecture profession, we can help prioritize the well-being of individuals and communities through our work and our collaborations. In different ways, each of the selected proposals demonstrate the potential of architecture to shape our environment and support our physical, mental, and social health.” 

This year’s five selections offer new approaches in an array of contexts: 

• Amygdala, a proposed treed walkway with lightweight steel and timber to establish an elevated network of pathways and gathering spaces through the existing canopies of Toronto’s Woodbine Beach (Student Associate Emily Lensin); 

• Finding Balance in the Landscape of Muskoka, a plan to create a 200-acre wilderness preserve and establish a public place of contemplation, repose, and reflection on nature and our place within it (team led by architect Howard Rideout); 

• Healthy Cities: Sustainably Adapting the Dominion Foundry Complex, a proposed mixed-use development that aims to adapt Toronto’s remaining heritage Dominion Foundry buildings and integrate new construction to create a self-sustaining and active community (Student Associate Erica Gomirato); 

• Hospital Precinct Commons, a proposed transformation of a major downtown-Toronto block’s exterior spaces into a multi-functional parkland that blurs boundaries between institutional care and community-based support and offers a more holistic approach to wellness (architect Gordon Stratford and landscape architect Alison Lumby); and

• Scaling Down: Shifting to Transit-Oriented Communities at Human Scale and Human Speed, which says goodbye to car-dominated neighbourhoods and puts people first with scaled-down streets, open spaces, and charming, walkable destinations (team led by architect Naama Blonder). 

These five projects will be celebrated in a publication, online, and at a June 22 event at Science North’s Vale Cavern in Sudbury as part of the OAA’s Conference, Designing for Dignity. 

To learn more about SHIFT, visit www.shiftchallenge.ca.

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CreateTO and TO Live have released the designs from the shortlisted competitors from the international design competition to reimagine the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (STLC). 

The landmark building, located at 27 Front St. East in the heart of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, was constructed by the City of Toronto as a Centennial project in 1970 and has played an important role in the evolution of the City’s cultural fabric.

Five (5) shortlisted teams, each of which includes an Indigenous design partner, were invited to develop a concept based on a detailed project design brief. Here are the designs from the five shortlisted design teams:

Brook McIlroy | Trahan Architects | Hood Design Studio

Diamond Schmitt Architects  | Smoke Architecture  | MVVA

Hariri Pontarini Architects | Tawaw Architecture Collective | Smoke Architecture | SLA

RDHA | Mecanoo | Two Row Architect | NAK Design Strategies

Zeidler Architecture | Diller Scofidio + Renfro | Two Row Architect | PLANT Architect

 
The design component of the process will be judged by a jury of leaders in the fields of planning, urban design, architecture, Indigenous design, and landscape architecture.

On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, CreateTO and TO will host a public presentation of these design concepts. Until March 3, the shortlisted teams’ materials will be available at www.stlcnext.org for public comments. Further comments from the public will be taken in person or online during the public presentation on March 7.

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The Canadian Academy of Architecture for Justice (CAAJ) invites architecture students to participate in its 2023 competition, “A New Frontier – The Contemporary Border Crossing.”

The competition explores the crossing of a barrier between two nations. The nature and meaning of this barrier are very specific to its location and the different characters of the nations involved. Borders can mark dramatic transitions between different cultures, political systems, economies, and levels of freedom. They range from open and undefended to closed and heavily militarized.

In many places around the world, borders are under stress and evolving to respond to war, migration pressures, the ebb and flow of political alliances, the creation and removal of trade barriers, the threat of terrorism, the movement of illegal drug and weapons, and the spread of disease.

Border crossing architecture is the physical manifestation of the balance between evolving security concerns and the desire to welcome visitors and newcomers while symbolically marking the entry into a new country.

Individual students or teams worldwide are welcome to enter the competition. Participants must be currently enrolled in a school of architecture – winners will be expected to provide proof either consisting of a recent transcript or letter from the school explaining their status. Students who are taking time off from their studies to seek work experience, but remain in the process of becoming an architect, are also eligible to apply. Students in their final year who might have completed their studies after January 2021, but before the submission date, are still eligible.

The design will be evaluated by a jury of experts, architects and industry professionals. Participants are highly encouraged to explore a wide spectrum of architectural responses from functional and practical at one end to philosophical and social at the other. This includes ways in which this building or complex could be integrated into the surrounding context and community, act as a catalyst for building a positive relationship between two nations, and address what a border entry means in today’s context.

The first prize winner will receive $3,000, and the second and third prize winners will receive $1,000. Submissions must be compeleted by June 30, 2023.

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The International Garden Festival has selected five projects for its ROOTS themed fair, which will run from June 24th to October 1st, 2023. Now on its 24th edition, Ève De Garie-Lamanque, the event’s Artistic Director, asked designers to imagine a present and a future that is ecologically, economically, and culturally responsible by drawing on the teachings of past generations.

The five gardens selected for the 2023 edition are:

Le jardin des quatre colonnes
Vincent Dumay and Baptiste Wullschleger, Sweden / France

With a project that is both poetic and a manifesto, we hope that the public will discover solutions for a more desirable and virtuous future. The intent is to raise awareness of the question of the finite character of our resources. Le jardin des quatre colonnes is an experience that unfolds through time, where elements built with raw earth within a living environment will evolve freely over the years.

Adobe construction is a technique that consists in compacting soil mixed with moisture in successive layers inside a casing – it makes visible what normally lies hidden beneath our feet. The fluted boles are built using a tubular casing which gives them their specific shape, evoking Doric columns.

Maillage
Friche Atelier (Frédérique Allard, Jean-Jacques Yervant and Aliénor de Montalivet), Canada (Quebec)

The use of plants is at the heart of the development of our civilizations. Whether for nourishment, protection, healing, or clothing, their multiple applications have allowed populations to survive and prosper.

The dyeing properties of plants have been known since Antiquity, and their use as a colouring agent for plant and animal fibres reflects millennium-old know-how, exploiting the different parts of a plant (leaves, roots, flowers, fruits…). Maillage explores the relation between two worlds, that of the textile, and that of the vegetal, on a metaphorical level.

matière-matière
Studio Haricot (Marie-Pier Caron-Desrochers, Tristan Morissette), Rose-Marie Guévin and Vincent Ouellet, Canada (Quebec)

matière-matière is the intrinsic experience of a tone-on-tone relation (texture upon texture, colour upon colour): volumes emerge like fruits from the site as extensions of the vegetation. Three walls bend, converge, and project themselves, dilating and contracting. The project is an invitation to tactiley feel one’s way through a materiality stripped bare, inside moments of uncanny encounters. This structure of hemp concrete, deposited in the context of a patch of wheat and a carpet of mulch, offers a parallel between the possible transformations of vegetal fibres up to the materialization of the proposed spaces.

Racines de mer
Cassandra Ducharme-Martin and Gabriel Demeule, Canada (Quebec)

In a climate similar to ours, on the island of Læsø in Denmark, women built the roofs of their houses with the help of a marine plant called eelgrass. Due to the waterproof and fireproof properties of these marine plants that are harvested on beaches, these roofs have resisted the ravages of time for more than three hundred years.

Racines de mer proposes a reflection on the built environment of the future. It offers the visitor the possibility of discovering Quebec’s territory and traditional skills. On the one hand, the light wooden frame, left uncovered, celebrates the elegance of this method of construction, a system omnipresent in North America. On the other hand, its roof made of algae, inspired by those of the island of Læsø, exploits the riches of the St. Lawrence River and reveals its dormant potential.

S’Y RETROUVER
Jinny Yu, Ki Jun Kim and Frédéric Pitre, Germany / Canada (Ontario + Quebec)

Visitors are invited to enter a submerged maze: a puzzle with various possible routes and dead ends meant to confuse and challenge those who explore. At the same time, the top of the wall of the trenches, which is at ground level, allows for the possibility of deciphering the pathway with an overall view of the route before entering. Upon entering the subterranean world, visitors reach the first level of the substratum of the root system, where they can walk around a network composed of earth and white clover, representing the pattern of the roots of two trees linked by fungal mycelium.

The white clover, like older and more recent settlers, came from Europe and took root spreading across the North American continent and interacting with the ecology of the native soil. S’y retrouver invites visitors to slow down and reflect both on the root system and post-colonialism.

Two projects received a special mention from the jury: Divine nature, by Bernard-Félix Chénier, Hugo Duguay, Nathaniel Proulx Joanisse, Karl Robert and Justine Valois; and Edwidge, by Ariane Ouellet-Pelletier and Thomas O. St-Pierre.

*Project descriptions courtesy of the International Garden Festival

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EVOQ Architecture announced that Alain Fournier is the recipient of the 2022 Ernest-Cormier Prize. Alain is being recognized for his outstanding achievement in the field of architecture, defined by far more than just a built legacy.

His work is distinguished by an exceptional commitment to Canada’s First Nations and Inuit, and his tireless efforts to shine light upon, and celebrate, the cultures, traditions, viewpoints, and aspirations of communities that have been marginalized for far too long.

Over and above his architectural practice, Alain has been a sought-after speaker, facilitator, and teacher, and has served as a board member at several organizations, and as president of the Association des Architectes en pratique privée du Québec. These, along with his volunteer commitments and his appearances as a guest witness in several parliamentary commissions, have come to define his thoughtful and committed activism.

“To me, this award is one more step on the road toward the resurgence and recognition of Indigenous cultures. I humbly thank all the Indigenous communities of Quebec and Canada that welcomed me into their midst over the years with open arms. I also wish to thank the members of my team; without them none of this would have been possible,” says Alain Fournier.

The Ernest Cormier Prize, awarded by the Government of Quebec, honours Quebec architects and designers for their lifetime achievements. This award is the highest distinction given to Quebec creators in the fields of architecture and design.

The defining feature of Alain’s work has been his willingness to break away from the rigid framework of an architect’s role. Driven by a deep sensitivity to culture, and a unique and inspired activism, Alain developed a profoundly human approach to architecture, rather than a signature style. This approach gives a voice to Indigenous communities to translate their vision of the world into architecture, making it a vehicle for their emancipation as they assert themselves, reinvent themselves, and celebrate their cultures.

Alain has contributed to the engagement of future generations thanks to a dedicated team that he has cultivated and mentored over the years at EVOQ Architecture. He also shares his approach with architecture students at several universities.

At the Université de Montréal, Alain teaches workshops where he leverages his extensive network to initiate encounters with Indigenous communities through fieldtrips and workshops with community representatives, putting students in direct contact with the cultural realities of Inuit and First Nations communities.

Through this outreach, he seeks to raise awareness among emerging architects, change their perceptions of the role of an architect, and open them up to the potential of their profession to be a vehicle for change. This will be Alain’s most important and most enduring legacy.

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The International Garden Festival is launching a call for proposals to select designers to create the new temporary gardens for the Festival’s 24th edition.

Racines / Roots is the theme to which designers are invited to respond with their proposals to imagine a present and a future that is ecologically, economically and culturally responsible by drawing on the teachings of past generations. 

“With the advent of the digital age, globalization and the rapid speed of technological advancement that are changing our relationship with time, the physical world and each other, Racines / Roots rejects the unrooted vision implanted by the industrial revolution to embrace an approach that seeks to be nourished from a common heritage.”

The theme counters the forces of homogenization that is part of globalization, incorporating the notion of globality coined by the Martinique poet and philosopher Édouard Glissant (1928-2011).  

The jury for the 2023 Festival will choose five projects from this call for proposals. Designers are invited to design a garden that can take place in one or other of the axes of the Festival. The artistic and technical committee of the Festival will identify, in collaboration with the designers, the site that will best showcase their project.

Designers will be asked to imagine their garden for exhibition for at least two summers and to propose strategies for the repurposing or recycling of the garden or its materials after the end of its exhibition.

This call for proposals is open to all landscape architects, architects, visual artists and multidisciplinary teams from Canada and abroad. The Festival encourages participants to form multidisciplinary teams. Applicants are limited to one proposal, either as individuals or as a team. Participants can be from a single city or country or cross international boundaries.

Designers whose work has been exhibited in one of the last three editions (2020, 2021 or 2022) of the Festival are not eligible for this call for proposals. The festival will open on June 23, 2023, on the site of Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens. 

The deadline to submit proposals electronically is TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022 at 17:00 EST. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. All the details are available here: www.projects.internationalgardenfestival.ca

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Buildner has announced the results of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Challenge. The competition is part of the organization’s Affordable Housing series, in partnership with ARCHHIVE BOOKS, showcasing projects that invent new means for driving down housing prices.

Designers were tasked with proposing a flexible, innovative, pilot-phase concept for affordable housing within Greater Vancouver. Winning projects will be featured in ARCHHIVE BOOKS’ second edition of its publication, What is Affordable Housing?

Buildner’s Affordable Housing design series posits that there is no one right answer to making housing affordable. Today, a host of new ideas and platforms are enabling people to own or purchase homes. These creative methods include everything from community co-living facilities, to 3D-printed homes, stackable modular homes and new forms of transit-oriented development.

“In addition to rising interest rates and a limited housing stock putting pressure on Vancouver’s housing market, the city is also restricted by zoning laws that render most types of housing – other than single- family detached homes – impossible to construct in many regions of the city. These issues, as well as many more political and economic factors, contribute to Vancouver’s mounting housing challenges,” says Buildner.

The competition encouraged participants to submit flexible solutions to accommodate a range of unit sizes including families, single professionals, and couples. There was no set competition site or scale, and participants were also encouraged to be as creative as possible:

1ST PRIZE WINNER
PROJECT AUTHORS
Xian Chris Li
Elitsa Vutova
Nadthachai Kongkhajornkidsu

COUNTRY
United States

PROJECT NAME
Laneway Village

2ND PRIZE WINNER
PROJECT AUTHORS
Christopher Doray
Piotr Pasierbinski
Yekta Tehrani
Lukas Vajda

COUNTRY
Canada

PROJECT NAME
Living Trails

3RD PRIZE WINNER+AAPPAREL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
PROJECT AUTHORS
Martin Chow

COUNTRY
Canada

PROJECT NAME
Tall Trees, Tall Houses

ARCHHIVE STUDENT AWARD
PROJECT AUTHORS
Mariia Pykhacheva
Olesia Ivleva
Alika Appaeva
Ekaterina Klyusova

COUNTRY
Czech Republic

UNIVERSITY
MOSCOW INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE – MARHI , МОСКОВСКИЙ АРХИТЕКТУРНЫЙ ИНСТИТУТ – МАРХИ

PROJECT NAME
Crossroads

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The Montreal Holocaust Museum (MHM) has announced the  winner of the international architectural competition for the development of its new Museum, located at 3535 Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal.

The jury met in the first week of July 2022 and, after deliberation, selected the project presented by : 

o KPMB Architects + Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker

In light of the objectives and evaluation criteria set out in the competition rules, this project stood out in particular for its integration into the urban context, the clarity of its organization of spaces and the integration of gardens into the museum experience. The jury also noted that this team had a strong understanding of the Holocaust Museum’s mission and had approached the subject with great sensitivity. 

The jury applauds the arrival of the Montreal Holocaust Museum in downtown Montreal, on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. The Museum reinforces its values of inclusion and education by relocating to the heart of this central location that was once home to many immigrant communities.

“This project addresses a growing public interest and a need for opportunities to learn about the history of the Holocaust, genocide, human rights, and the fight against racism and antisemitism.”

This is a $90-million project with contributions from Heritage Canada ($20 million), the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec ($20 million), the City of Montreal ($1,5 million), the Azrieli Foundation ($15 million) and numerous private donors who have contributed to the Museum through its Give Voice fundraising campaign.

Over the course of Phase 1 of the competition, the Museum received 32 proposals from 9 countries, which were submitted anonymously to the jury. The jury then selected four finalists, who developed their projects in an interdisciplinary mode in Phase 2 of the competition.  The four teams were Atelier TAG et L’OEUF architectes en consortium, Saucier+Perrotte Architectes, KPMB Architects + Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker and Pelletier de Fontenay + NEUF architect(e)s.

The winning project will be unveiled at a private event to be held at the Montreal Holocaust Museum on September 8. The following day, all of the projects received in both stages of the competition will be published, as well as the jury’s reports. Media are invited to contact the Museum to confirm their presence at this event. 

The new Museum is scheduled to open in September 2025. 

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Inspired by the theme “Adaptation”, the five new gardens of the International Garden Festival invite visitors to come and reflect on this daily challenge, from June 24 to October 2,  at the Jardins de Métis.

In addition to the 27 contemporary gardens presented at the Jardins de Métis, a satellite installation, made up of 156 recycled glass bottles fanned out in front of the Centre d’art de Kamouraska, captures the wind from the open sea and emits melodies reminiscent of foghorns: Mer du vent by Emmanuelle Loslier and Camille Zaroubi, landscape architects and musicians from Montreal. Their installation, Miroirs acoustiques, created in 2021, is again presented on the site of the International Garden Festival.  

The new gardens of the International Garden Festival include: 

FORTERESSES by Maison029 [Eadeh Attarzadeh, Lorenzo Saroli Palumbo], Montréal (Québec) Canada 

The romantic notion of believing that forests spared from all human contact and interference will thrive has unfortunately been disproven. As long as humanity persists on its present course, it has become unrealistic to expect our forests to defend themselves. 

Forteresses is a symbolic intervention within the forest, proposing an aggressive method to protect our flora from its greatest predator: ourselves. The geometry of each modular defensive system adapts to the size, type and age of each tree. Forteresses is meant to be appreciated for the beauty of its geometries in addition to encouraging visitors to question the impact they have on their environment and reminding them that our flora is often unable to protect itself. 

Graduates of McGill University, Eadeh Attarzadeh is an urban planner and urban designer at Stantec and Lorenzo Saroli Palumbo is an architect at Atelier d’Architecture Saroli Palumbo inc. 

Together, they form a multidisciplinary and complementary duo, Maison029, with the objective of offering unique characteristics to each project they realize. To do so, they seek to embody and amplify the qualities of a project’s context through the playful exploration of form, materiality, construction technique and light. Whether it’s for architectural projects, urban design, furniture or graphics – it’s all in-house.

LICHEN by Marie-Pier Gauthier-Manes, Chloé Isaac, Victor Roussel, Montréal (Québec) Canada / Paris, France 

The lichen is a perceptive, malleable and mutable organism. It metamorphoses in contact with the topography, humidity and ambient temperature. Like its namesake, Lichen is sensitive to disturbances in its environment and is therefore a valuable indicator of environmental change. Composed of small, delicate elements, it is nonetheless a cohesive and resistant structure that serves to prepare the ground for other plant species. As we wander between its agglomerations, we observe, otherwise invisible, elements reveal themselves in colourful patterns. 

Inspired by terracotta pots, real archetypes in gardens, this installation is composed of 1,200 hand-made earthenware rings that are fired in an outdoor kiln right here at the Jardins de Métis. The drainage and water retention capabilities of this material allow for both a more constant irrigation of the soil and a longer retention of moisture. This environment allows plants that are particularly sensitive to temperature variations and drought to grow peacefully. Its thermochromic treatment changes its appearance according to the temperature to reveal different colours throughout the summer season. 

Marie-Pier Gauthier-Manes is a product and space designer, Chloé Isaac is a ceramacist and graphic designer and Victor Roussel is a 3D artist. All three studied environmental design at the Université du Québec à Montréal.  

It is during their studies that they developed their friendship and discovered the pleasure of creating together. They are attracted to design proposals that put the properties of materials at the centre as well as artisanal and eco-responsible approaches. 

Despite their similar educational backgrounds, they are now creators with very different profiles. Marie-Pier is the founder of Studio Moodswings. Chloé and Victor are now based in Paris and work on their own.

GRAVITY FIELD by TERRAIN WORK [Theodore Hoerr, Rebecca Shen, Kelly Watters], New York, États-Unis 

Plants are extraordinarily adaptive. They can thrive in some of the harshest environments on earth by responding to a myriad of stimuli – sun, water, temperature, soil, and gravity – to sustain life. Plants are also essential to human existence, providing sustenance, ecosystem services, and carbon sequestration.  

While they play a key role in mitigating the effects of climate change that threaten our existence as a species, they too are also vulnerable and must adapt quickly to a rapidly changing climate. Gravity Field demonstrates the robust adaptation of plants in even extremely strenuous conditions.  

The sunflowers are grown upside-down but will bend up as they grow towards the sun, defying gravity. Visitors can visit the installation numerous times to experience how adaptable plants are to their circumstances: phototropically, gravitropically, and heliotropically. While the future is uncertain, Gravity Field spotlights the powerful resilience of nature and sees optimism in the ability of plants, and all organisms, to adapt and thrive. 

Theodore Hoerr is a landscape architect, Founding Principal of Terrain Work, Kelly Watters is a landscape designer, Associate of Terrain Work and Rebecca Shen is a designer intern. Terrain Work is an international landscape architecture, urban design and public art studio in New York City that is known for its creativity and design innovation.  

Terrain Work’s landscapes and urban strategies consider how landscape’s innate ability to change create new emergent forms and experiences that synthesize culture, nature, and the built environment. They approach each project with a curiosity and collaborative spirit born out of the belief that landscapes should perform as both cultural provocateur and ecological system.

LES HUIT COLLINES by ONOMIAU [Noël Picaper], Levallois-Perret, France 

Conceived as evolving structures, those eight hills imagine biological spatialities. Through inanimate and organic materials, they create life effects. A hilly landscape then appears, capable of offering various experiences to humans as well as to non-humans (birds in particular). Serving as a seating area, a micro-garden, a contemplative space and an ecological reservoir, this project offers visitors a multitude of spatial sequences to practice, seating, hiding places and amphitheatre and more. 

The intention, behind this assembly of surfaces, is to reveal the richness of a whole environment, catalyzing other forms of interactions for various living beings. Dreamlike and supporting functions, this work influences the climate by softening the summer heat with its shades and its flora. Les huit collines thus elaborate a landscape charged with meaning that never ceases to evolve both by its composition and by the cycles of life that it shelters. 

Born in Bonn, Germany, Noël Picaper lives and works in Paris. Since September 2021, he has been teaching at the School of Architecture in Clermont-Ferrand. On the border between architecture, art and biology, Noël Picaper’s creations paint a picture of a world made of playful and dreamlike landscapes, where humans and their natural environment cohabit in new ways. After working for Junya Ishigami in Japan, in 2019 he created Onomiau, an architecture and design collective interested in experimental spaces and architectural fictions. Onomiau stands for “office for nomadic architecture”.

FORÊT FINIE, ESPACE INFINI? by Antonin Boulanger Cartier, Pierre-Olivier Demeule, Melaine Niget, 

Québec (Québec) Canada 

From a distance, Forêt finie, espace infini?, takes on the appearance of a pile of sawn wood that a carpenter might have placed there while waiting for his next project. This defined form covered with a plastic sheeting waits in the summer heat. Rooted in the middle of a path crossing the boreal forest, the installation however obstructs the passage. Without being able to go around it, is it possible to cross it, to face it seems inevitable.   

By approaching, a section of the tarpaulin is unhooked, and you are invited to slip into it. Inside, a structure made of finely assembled wooden slats reveals a path modulated by a play of solids and voids. What are all these cleverly arranged slats and why do they seek to reach the infinite? Aren’t they constrained by this tarpaulin that can be seen from the outside? Looking up at the sky, a brief glance at the tall trees suggests a final thought: if the space we build emanates from a world of finite resources and therefore cannot be infinite, could this skillfully sculpted forest able to be? 

Antonin Boulanger Cartier is an architectural intern at Bourgeois Lechasseur Architectes. He is also a candidate for the master’s degree in architectural sciences within the Habiter le Nord québécois partnership at Université Laval.   

Melaine Niget is an urban designer and architectural intern at Groupe A / Annexe U. The versatility of his training in architecture and urban design has led him to become involved in several research groups at the École d’architecture of the Université Laval.  

Pierre-Olivier Demeule holds a master’s degree in architecture, a master’s degree in science and is an architectural intern at ABCP architecture. In recent years, his interest in informal and vernacular built heritage has led him to work on various projects in collaboration with indigenous populations. 

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Metrolinx has launched a design competition to encourage teams to submit innovative urban design and landscape architecture solutions for the Ontario Line infrastructure that will be built around the existing rail corridor extending from Eastern Avenue to Gerrard Street in Toronto. Submissions to the first stage of the two-stage process, including team compositions and a sample of past projects, are now due July 14 at 3 pm. From the responses that are received, up to four teams will be selected to participate in the design competition.

The competition is a unique, first-of-its-kind collaboration between the communities surrounding the corridor and Metrolinx, combining the vision and goals from community groups and local BIAs with Metrolinx’s objectives for the rail expansion.

The objective of the competition is to solicit creative design solutions, responding to the challenge of integrating new transit infrastructure into established neighbourhoods. The site of the competition runs along both sides of a two-kilometer stretch of rail corridor which will accommodate both the new Ontario Line and the expansion of GO Transit (a regional express rail system). These boundary conditions could be a point of friction between the transit infrastructure and the adjacent urban context. Metrolinx is soliciting proposals that use design excellence principles to transform these interfaces into a unique urban environment that enhances the adjacent neighbourhoods, commercial streets, and parklands.

The scope of the design competition includes the rail corridor to retaining walls, abutments, bridge underpasses, station plazas, aesthetic lighting, murals and other landscape items within four Community Zones identified along the Joint Corridor. The goal for the competition is to achieve an innovative, integrated, context-sensitive design solution that is implementable. Embedded within the proposals there should be a focus on ecological performance and biodiversity.

The Ontario Line and Competition Site

The Ontario Line is a planned 15.6 km, 15-stop rapid transit line in Toronto connecting Exhibition Place, through downtown, to the Ontario Science Centre. While fostering community growth and development, the delivery of the Ontario Line requires a unified integration of new architectural, civic and landscape components into the existing urban form. The design and construction of this alliances will establish an enhanced user experience within the existing public realm.

Ontario Line’s proposed Joint Corridor is the area of this design competition. The “Joint Corridor” title denotes the 2 km stretch where two rail expansion projects overlap – Ontario Line two tracks on the west side and an additional new GO rail track on the east side of the rail corridor. The Joint Corridor area for this competition will run above ground from north of Eastern Avenue to south of Pape Avenue.

The Riverside and Leslieville neighbourhoods have developed in close proximity to the historic GO Transit rail corridor. To accommodate the additional volume of the Ontario Line plus the GO Transit electrification expansion, the rail corridor will be raised, widened, and bridges will be replaced. It is these infrastructural changes that have opened up the opportunity for Metrolinx to run a design competition for the Joint Corridor.

The winning team from the competition will receive a $100,000 honorarium for their design concept, and the three shortlisted design teams will receive honorariums of $25,000. The winning design concepts will be translated into tender documents by the Ontario Line Technical Advisor, contracted to Metrolinx.

The nine-person jury includes two community members from the Lakeshore East Community Advisory Committee, a representative for the Riverside and Leslieville BIAs, four architecture, urban, and landscape design professionals, a City of Toronto representative, and a Metrolinx representative.

In response to questions that have come up about the competition format and procedures, Metrolinx has offered the following:

Will Metrolinx retain the copyright as part of the transfer of sole ownership of design concepts? What impact could this have with respect to professional liability insurance?

Upon the selection of the winning Design Proposal, only the winning Design Team is expected to irrevocably assign and transfer to Metrolinx all of the rights, titles and interests (including Intellectual Property rights) of the winning Design Proposal free and clear of any interest of any kind that would interfere with such assignment and transfer in consideration of the fee described in Article 4.0.

The other shortlisted Design Teams are only expected to sign a release and they will not be asked to assign and transfer any rights of their Design Proposals.

This decision was made to protect Metrolinx’s interests, as the winning Design Proposal will be translated into tender documents and Metrolinx may need to modify it to meet the project’s needs. Every effort will be made to maintain the intent of the winning design proposal through the construction documentation and construction processes. Metrolinx has a strong interest in this competition being successful and we will be monitoring the post-competition efforts to deliver the winning design concepts.

The winning Design Team can use the winning Design Proposal in promotion and marketing materials or for its business development. Also, Metrolinx wants to clarify that any Respondent to this competition is not required to be a licensed architect or landscape architect and will not be required to hold professional liability insurance for this purpose.

With respect to the transcription of the design proposal into construction documents, we have found that it requires ongoing effort and oversight to ensure that innovative concepts get built. If the Design Team is not involved after the competition, what assurances are there that the design intent will make it all the way through to the completion of the project?

We understand the challenges in getting innovative ideas built. The seven-year effort on the Davenport Diamond elevated guideway and public realm projects is both a testament to those challenges and a demonstration of our commitment to achieving the design excellence objectives of that project.

A key issue we face with the Joint Corridor Design Competition is schedule pressure. Once a winning scheme is selected there will be limited time available to translate and incorporate those concepts into the tender documents. The tender release dates are fixed, and we want to make sure these design concepts are captured in the bid package we put out to the market so that they get priced and built. We have confidence in the ability of the design leads on the OLTA team to successfully translate these concepts into tender documents. Metrolinx has a strong interest in this competition being successful and we will be monitoring the post-competition efforts of the OLTA teams.

The delivery of this work is linked to the schedules of other projects that have been carefully mapped out for the next eight to ten years. Delays in these critical enabling works in the Joint corridor could hold up both the Ontario Line and GO Expansion programs. We already have contracts in place for the GO Expansion program and impacts to their schedule could carry very significant risks and penalties for Metrolinx.

Why was the decision taken not to seek the provision of further work or services from the winning Design Team after the winning scheme is selected?

Metrolinx recognized that this situation could be a disincentive for some teams. This decision was not taken lightly. The Joint Corridor Early Works package is large and very complex, and we have already pushed the tender deadlines to accommodate the design competition. Given the time pressure this process was determined to be the most feasible way to meet our deadlines and achieve the objectives of all the project stakeholders (including the local community and BIA).

In reviewing the schedule and deliverables for the Early Works tender package it was determined that the best way to deliver the winning scheme was integrate it into the workflow of the OLTA team. We recognize this situation may not be viewed as ideal; however, our objective is to make sure that the design concepts are realized in the built project.

These documents have been carefully drafted and extensively reviewed by our Procurement and Legal teams, the Ontario Line Technical Advisors, the Project Delivery Team, and the Fairness Advisor. The text in those documents was carefully considered with respect to the needs and objectives of all the stakeholders.

For more information about the competition, visit: https://www.metrolinxengage.com/en/content/ontario-line-neighbourhood-updates-east-ontario-line-joint-corridor-design-competition

The formal Request Document and Design Brief are available at: https://www.metrolinx.merx.com

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The Canadian Competitions Catalogue is proud to be the first to present full documentation from all the projects submitted by the 11 national and international teams selected to participate in the two phases of the “Block 2” competition in Ottawa in 2021 and 2022. The administrative term “Block 2” does not say anything about the democratic, cultural, historical, heritage and urban importance of this segment of Wellington Street, located in front of the Canadian Parliament. In the words of Honorary Jury Chair John Ralston Saul, the moral compass of this great competition, what was at stake was no more and no less than “the completion of Parliament Square,” which began a century and a half ago in the nation’s great inaugural architectural competition to design Canada’s Parliament.

To propose to rename this site “Parliament Square” would be an initiative that is all the more powerful and appropriate in terms of “Canadian-style” democracy, since the term “precinct” only affirms the frank, secure and—dare we say it—”police-like” limits of this public space, where the complexity of the Canadian Federation is expressed. Since I had the honour of being associated with this process in 2016, through meetings and presentations to the Public Services and Procurement Canada team in charge of Parliament Hill, I can testify that it was a question of pushing the limits and preserving democratic openness from the beginning to the end of this adventure.

In July 2016, in a special issue of Architecture Québec magazine, I had written an informed—and altogether, concerned— article on the Quebec competitions of the 2010s. This reflection had aroused the interest of Thierry Montpetit, the architect in charge of the thorny Block 2 file. This moody text was entitled: “There is no point in competing if the competition is not up to scratch.” In it, I complained about a way of doing things that had crept into Quebec and that increasingly limited the exercise to three competitors, to juries that were a little too expeditious, and to jury reports that were emptied of their didactic and informative role. Quebec had been for a long time a precursor in the field of public competitions, and there was reason to be alarmed by a trivialization (or worse) by an extreme simplification of the competition formula. Thierry Montpetit was then ambivalent about the relevance of a competition, but he wished to initiate a debate within the service in charge of restructuring the parliamentary hill. Armed with a clear definition—that a complex situation required a complex and proven democratic procedure such as a competition—it was not difficult for me to list the elements of the situation. It was early 2017, when heritage and urban issues were competing with tensions between local and national issues. The main concern was urban integration, but we didn’t want to dodge the magnitude of the architectural resolution of the site as a national symbol. We wanted to ensure the functionality of the parliamentary offices—since it is a large machine or, if we prefer, a parliamentary organization—but we also wanted to reassure citizens about the proper use of public funds. All the elements of a great competition seemed already in place.

In order to better inform the government experts about the subtleties of the competition, I had put together a series of historical, theoretical and comparative slide presentations. The civil servants and their guests were amused by these academic presentations, which were as long as they were far from the “executive summaries” in the form of “bullet points” that pretend to summarize everything in five points. I spoke as much about the Duomo of Florence as about the beautiful series of library competitions in Quebec, for which the audience, although not very inclined to emotion, was very admiring. My mission was to deconstruct the supposed virtues of calls for tender to reveal those of competitions. But the shadow of the sadly failed Bank Street Competition, at the beginning of the 2000s, on a site adjacent to Parliament Hill, with similar but lesser stakes, regularly came back on the table as a counter-example obscuring all the discussions of the representatives of public procurement in Canada. It was necessary to deconstruct this apparent failure to discover that it hid more dubious political decisions than problems with the functioning of the jury.

The stakes of the “Block 2” site seemed complex enough to compare with historical and legendary competitions, but one last argument was missing. In retrospect, it is not certain that me and my team would have succeeded in convincing people of the need for the competition, so much resistance was displayed around the coffee machine at these information meetings. The argument would come from higher up on June 21, 2017, when Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the former U.S. Embassy—right in the middle of Block 2—would become a space under the governance of Indigenous Peoples. The paradoxical reversal of this symbol of U.S. imperialism, a political move to be sure, made this house of Indigenous Peoples, or “Indigenous Peoples Space,” an injunction whose added complexity now left no room for the usual public procurement practices. After this highly political and democratic decision, the formula of the competition imposed itself with force. From a hypothetical modern competition with typical stakes, we moved, within a few hours, to a true hypermodern competition placed under the aegis of equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation. The so-called “Block 2” competition was born. Five years later, we can appreciate the results and especially understand what made some of the best architectural teams in the world sweat when faced with the magnitude of this complex situation. The reader can judge this by comparing the proposals.

The space of this editorial is too limited to explain and recount these five years of competition development, nor all the lessons that accompanied its implementation, including the introduction of the German team of Phase Eins—undoubtedly the best competition organization agency in the world—as well as the role of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in the regulation of the procedure, with the attentive, but benevolent eyes of Peter Ortved and Jonathan Bisson. It will be necessary one day to explain in detail all that the team, piloted by Assistant Deputy Minister Rob Wright with the support of Thierry Montpetit, produced in terms of expert reports, preliminary analysis, preparatory meetings, etc. Everything, absolutely everything that constitutes an excellent competition was mobilized in the service of quality. For the sake of confidentiality, we will unfortunately not be able to recount the hours and days of deliberations of an immense jury coordinated with the greatest respect for the diversity of points of view by the architects Bruce Haden and Anne McIIroy, acting as Jury Chairs. However, as a researcher familiar with national and international competitions, I would like to express my admiration for the impeccable organization of this great historic competition.

Yet, at the same time, we can only regret that the Ordre des Architectes du Québec has decided to abolish the competition committee and the competition accreditation procedure in December 2021, at a time when Quebec’s expertise was being admired by Ottawa’s elected officials. The validation procedure for Quebec competitions, which was put in place in the mid-1990s has long protected clients, competitors and professional advisors alike. To think that everything is fine now as far as the organization of competitions is concerned, to renounce to check their organization, while undermining the role of competitions in the amplitude of public procurement, is first of all, to dangerously underestimate the fragility of a complex procedure. Competitions are never cast in the concrete of an infallible methodology. Each competition is unique, because each situation is unique. We have yet to understand how abolishing the OAQ competition committee will affect a three-decades-long competition culture, but the fact remains that a significant part of Quebec’s expertise will have actively contributed to the success of the “Block2” competition.

I hope that the expertise developed for this competition will serve as an encouragement and that we will witness in the coming years the emergence of a new competition culture in Canada. Competitions are certainly not the only roadmaps to quality, as they will also benefit from all those initiatives and policies currently in the making that aim to ensure the highest expectations for public buildings and environments in Canada. These 11 projects for Block 2, that a small team of four students from the Université de Montréal has just assembled on the pages of the Canadian Competitions Catalogue, already offer themselves as a great lesson in contemporary architecture. You may now be the judge!

Jean-Pierre Chupin is the Canada Research Chair in Architecture, Competitions and Mediations of Excellence.

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