The Coderre administration recently recommended that City Council award a $3.2-million professional services contract to AZPML + Kanva architecture + NEUF architect(e)s + Bouthillette Parizeau + NCK (Princeton / Montréal), the winning team in the Biodôme Migration component of the Montréal Space for Life architecture competition, so that they can start work quickly on this huge project that is intended to be an important legacy for Montréal’s 375th anniversary.
“The Biodôme Migration is one of the key strategic projects that our administration is focusing on so that we can offer Montrealers and all the city’s visitors an innovative museum institution, one that stands as an example of biodiversity and environmental awareness. The project is a legacy that will last well beyond 2017, something of which we will all be very proud,” said Montréal Mayor Denis Coderre.
The jury for the international architecture competition, launched in February of this year, also chose the winners for the other two major Space for Life projects:
* Insectarium Metamorphosis: Kuehn Malvezzi/Pelletier De Fontenay/Jodoin Lamarre Pratte/Dupras Ledoux/NCK | Berlin/Montréal
* Glass Pavilion at the Botanical Garden: Lacaton & Vassal/Frédéric Druot/FABG/SNC Lavalin | Paris/Montréal
The winners for all three components of the competition grasped the essence of Canada’s largest natural science complex and its “art, science and emotion” approach, aimed at reconnecting humans with nature and positioning Montréal as a flagship for the global biodiversity movement.
“The Space for Life architecture competition, organized in co-operation with the Bureau du design, has produced bold results solidly anchored in the community. The inspiring designs combine esthetics and high environmental standards, and are evidence of the administration’s efforts to support Montréal’s position as a UNESCO City of Design,” noted Manon Gauthier, Executive Committee member responsible for culture, heritage, design, Space for Life and the status of women.
The Biodôme Migration features a series of delicate curved walls on which innovative, interactive and personalized scenes will be projected, reflecting the profiles of its many different visitors. A network of catwalks and a café overlooking the redesigned and enlarged sub-polar ecosystem complete this new museological ensemble appealing to the emotions.
The Insectarium Metamorphosis consists of an original underground, underwater and surface visitor route through a true house of insects. The bold and sensitive proposal calls for transparent openings allowing visitors to glimpse behind the scenes, and immersive spaces creating authentic encounters between humans and insects.
Like a huge display case, the Glass Pavilion at the Botanical Garden will include a trellised rose garden growing within its very walls. The multifunctional modular space, in line with the Biodiversity Centre, the greenhouses and the rose garden, will have room for 350 guests. Its versatile, airy and light-filled spaces will add up to a unique experience where visitors can “enjoy nature to the fullest.”
To view all the proposals, please visit http://mtlunescodesign.com/en/project/Space-for-Life-architecture-competition and www.espacepourlavie.ca/en