Montreal, Quebec
Urban
Built
Following the recent Metamorphosis of the Montreal Insectarium and entrance to Maisonneuve Park, the adjacent Montreal Botanical Garden required a new access point. Positioned strategically at a bend in the approach path, the new reception pavilion is visible from both the park and the Insectarium. Its triangular footprint is tailored to traffic management - visitors enter through one side and exit through the other, following a natural flow. The triangular corners of the building serve as pillars supporting a broad, square roof. The interaction of the two geometries produces roof overhangs that produce ample shade and protection from the elements. From spring to mid-autumn, the pavilion's large sliding doors can be left open, blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. The assembly of its basic shapes lends a primitive aesthetic to the structure. As the Corten steel claddings gradually oxidize and climbing vines colonize the structure, the pavilion's appearance will evolve over time, gradually resembling a ruin reclaimed by nature.
Image by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta del Tempio detto della Tosse, 1763
Urban
Built
Following the recent Metamorphosis of the Montreal Insectarium and entrance to Maisonneuve Park, the adjacent Montreal Botanical Garden required a new access point. Positioned strategically at a bend in the approach path, the new reception pavilion is visible from both the park and the Insectarium. Its triangular footprint is tailored to traffic management - visitors enter through one side and exit through the other, following a natural flow. The triangular corners of the building serve as pillars supporting a broad, square roof. The interaction of the two geometries produces roof overhangs that produce ample shade and protection from the elements. From spring to mid-autumn, the pavilion's large sliding doors can be left open, blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. The assembly of its basic shapes lends a primitive aesthetic to the structure. As the Corten steel claddings gradually oxidize and climbing vines colonize the structure, the pavilion's appearance will evolve over time, gradually resembling a ruin reclaimed by nature.
Prix d’Excellence de l’Ordre des Architectes du Québec, 2024
Photography by James Brittain