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URBAN SPECTACULAR

The Canadian Architect, 2013-02, Vol.58 (2), p.18

Copyright Business Information Group Feb 2013 ;ISSN: 0008-2872 ;EISSN: 1923-3353

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  • Title:
    URBAN SPECTACULAR
  • Author: Luka, Nik
  • Subjects: Architecture ; Central business districts ; Culture ; Design ; Music festivals ; Public spaces ; Summer ; Urban areas ; Urban planning
  • Is Part Of: The Canadian Architect, 2013-02, Vol.58 (2), p.18
  • Description: In physical form, the Quartier des Spectacles includes multiple components organized into two "poles"- the Pôle Quartier Latin to the northeast, which is somewhat awkwardly separated by the Habitations Jeanne-Mance from the Pôle Place des Arts to the southwest. This review focuses on the major urban spaces of the latter, almost all of which have been completed in the last six years. The Montreal-based firm Daoust Lestage was commissioned to develop a comprehensive plan and detailed design in response to the PPU and through collaboration with members of the partnership as client- stakeholders. Building on their accomplished designs for the Quartier International de Montréal including Square Victoria, the firm articulated a four-phase build- out that effectively completes the Place des Arts complex as an urban armature. Indeed, Daoust Lestage has transformed the periphery of the 1960s mega-block into a series of fluid urban spaces, literally turning a sow's ear into a silk purse. A third major component aims to connect the Place des Arts complex with Boulevard St-Laurent, Montreal's celebrated "main" street. This represents perhaps the most challenging part of the Quartier des Spectacles in terms of urban structure. The blocks between rue St-Urbain and rue St-Dominique became transitory spaces with the construction of Place des Arts and Habitations Jeanne-Mance in the 1960s. Daoust Lestage sought to rectify this by creating the Parterre, a large green space bordered by hardscape that extends the sidewalks to frame summer concerts. With the eventual addition of new built form on adjacent blocks, this space should help to ground the megastructures found nearby. It continues the bold but elegant architectural language of the Place des Festivals and the Promenade des Artistes, expressed fittingly at a human scale that one can best appreciate when moving on foot through these spaces. The deftest interventions in the Quartier des Spectacles are found along rue Ste-Catherine, one of Montreal's thriving pedestrian-dominated main streets. In the Place des Arts sector, Daoust Lestage levelled the roadway and the sidewalks to blur the transition between the interior spaces of the Place des Arts complex and Complexe Desjardins across the street. These interventions mesh well with the annual closure of rue Ste-Catherine in the Gay Village on the opposite side of Boulevard St-Laurent, adding to the growing array of people-oriented public spaces in central Montreal. Here, technical and logistical challenges such as clearly demarcating the roadway for motorists were met through the use of handsome but humble fitments, including simple bollards that can be removed when the street is closed to vehicular traffic. Early work to humanize the blunt façades of Complexe Desjardins continues through the addition of trees and, along rue feanne-[Jeanne-Mance], the insertion of several platforms for public art, all visually linked through consistent surface treatments.
  • Publisher: Toronto: IQ Business Media
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 0008-2872
    EISSN: 1923-3353
  • Source: AUTh Library subscriptions: ProQuest Central
    Freely Accessible Arts & Humanities Journals
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