Montreal, Quebec
Cultural
International Competition, 1st Prize
The Montreal Insectarium, part of Canada's largest natural science museum complex, showcases detailed displays of preserved insects and live species. The design draws on 400 years of spatial categorization and display of the natural world. Situated within the Botanical Garden, a walled pollinator garden invites visitors to the project’s main spaces. The building features immersive sensory experiences through a precisely choreographed route to dissolve the divides between the human and the natural: an underground labyrinth that mimics insect movement, a domed shotcrete hall containing the collection of insects, and a Grand Vivarium that brings visitors into close contact with live insects in their natural habitats. The narrative is underpinned by bioclimatic and sustainable design elements, such as passive solar gain, textile shades, motorized louvers, geothermal wells, and the use of local, sustainable, VOC-free materials. The Insectarium represents a critical new approach for museums of natural history, opening during a time when rethinking the relationship between humans and non-human biology is vital. In collaboration with Kuehn Malvezzi, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes and atelier le balto.
Mies Crown Hall Prize Americas, finalist, 2024
Grand Prix d’Excellence de l’Ordre des Architectes du Québec, 2023
DAM prize Germany, finalist, 2022
Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect magazine, 2018
In collaboration with Kuehn Malvezzi, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte, Atelier le balto.
Images by James Brittain
Cultural
International Competition, 1st Prize
The Montreal Insectarium, part of Canada's largest natural science museum complex, showcases detailed displays of preserved insects and live species. The design draws on 400 years of spatial categorization and display of the natural world. Situated within the Botanical Garden, a walled pollinator garden invites visitors to the project’s main spaces. The building features immersive sensory experiences through a precisely choreographed route to dissolve the divides between the human and the natural: an underground labyrinth that mimics insect movement, a domed shotcrete hall containing the collection of insects, and a Grand Vivarium that brings visitors into close contact with live insects in their natural habitats. The narrative is underpinned by bioclimatic and sustainable design elements, such as passive solar gain, textile shades, motorized louvers, geothermal wells, and the use of local, sustainable, VOC-free materials. The Insectarium represents a critical new approach for museums of natural history, opening during a time when rethinking the relationship between humans and non-human biology is vital. In collaboration with Kuehn Malvezzi, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes and atelier le balto.
Mies Crown Hall Prize Americas, finalist, 2024
Grand Prix d’Excellence de l’Ordre des Architectes du Québec, 2023
DAM prize Germany, finalist, 2022
Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect magazine, 2018
In collaboration with Kuehn Malvezzi, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte, Atelier le balto.
Images by James Brittain