Montreal, Quebec
Cultural
Competition, 1st Prize, built
Perched on the edge of the elevated highway at the entrance of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the signage structure marks the transition between city and airport; from ground to sky. The ephemeral monolith is covered in a kinetic aluminum skin composed of over a hundred gradually twisting vertical louvers. This skin uses the directional movement of passengers on the highway to reflect the sentiment of arrival and departure through light. A precise custom manufacturing and assembly process emphasizes the technical nature of aeronautics and Quebec's material production identities. Aluminum was primarily chosen for its non-corrosive, light, strong, and malleable qualities that enabled the use of long strips without losing mechanical torsion. Through custom die fabrication, specifically shaped louvers were created — flat on one side and undulated on the other, allowing us to obtain two subtle variations in textures on opposite sides — while laser-cut mechanical fasteners and an opalescent cellular polycarbonate panel system ensured regularity, weatherproofing and light diffusion.
Images by James Brittain
Cultural
Competition, 1st Prize, built
Perched on the edge of the elevated highway at the entrance of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the signage structure marks the transition between city and airport; from ground to sky. The ephemeral monolith is covered in a kinetic aluminum skin composed of over a hundred gradually twisting vertical louvers. This skin uses the directional movement of passengers on the highway to reflect the sentiment of arrival and departure through light. A precise custom manufacturing and assembly process emphasizes the technical nature of aeronautics and Quebec's material production identities. Aluminum was primarily chosen for its non-corrosive, light, strong, and malleable qualities that enabled the use of long strips without losing mechanical torsion. Through custom die fabrication, specifically shaped louvers were created — flat on one side and undulated on the other, allowing us to obtain two subtle variations in textures on opposite sides — while laser-cut mechanical fasteners and an opalescent cellular polycarbonate panel system ensured regularity, weatherproofing and light diffusion.
Images by James Brittain