MAY
The new home for the Montreal Planetarium uses a combination of robust architectural form, and state of the art projection systems, to create a wonderfully animated experience that will enchant architecture and star gazers alike.
Cardin Ramirez Julien + Aedifica have designed the external form as a loosely extrapolated pair of binoculars, but inside, rather more is going on.
MAY
Yonge Street is said to be the longest street in North America. At one end it meets Lake Ontario, and at this junction a new development is proposed of 6.4million square feet. Read more
FEB
Iréne, is an urban housing project in Montreal, designed by KANVA. It explores a number of ideas that have more general application for housing projects and conversions of existing buildings.
A brick warehouse building from the 1930s presented a solid, if uninspired starting point, upon which a three storey extension has been constructed. The brick part of the building came to be seen as heavy, in its aesthetic appearance, its physical qualities, and in the historical gravity that maintains its linkage to the surrounding urban context and the collective memory of a city quarter undergoing rapid development.
This then, was the foundation for a break with the old aesthetic order and the opportunity for new, light, modern and adaptable construction to colonize the building and the district. Read more
FEB
A landscape, designed by Martine Brisson, creates what is really an outdoor apartment on the roof of the former studio residence of the painter Betty Goodwin. With a kitchen, living space, bathroom and garden, the work imagines a world with fewer walls, set in splendid isolation. Read more
NOV
When the Erskine and American Church in Montreal fell out of religious use, the preservation of its historic fabric became an important question for the city. It was built in the late 19th century at a time when Montreal apparently contained 70% of the nation’s wealth. This spending power was reflected in the grand architectural style of the church, its limestone and Miramichi sandstone construction, and features like the 20 Tiffany stained-glass windows, the largest collection of its kind in Canada.
The conservation problem was solved by careful restoration of the historical fabric, whilst the more difficult question of what to use the building for, was solved by its transformation into a 444 seat a concert hall with a new extension housing a contemporary art gallery. Designed by Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes, the resulting scheme has won several awards. Read more
