Details
The residential project consisting of 138 housing units is situated on the outskirts of the new Campus of the University of Montreal, a forthcoming institutional neighborhood. This industrial character sector is undergoing revitalization and is currently attracting new businesses, thereby contributing to the influx of professionals into the area. The proposed project will create a link between two sectors experiencing significant changes. Once isolated by the railway and the marshalling yard, the establishment of new connections between this sector and the future Outremont campus will alleviate its isolation and continue the urban fabric of Outremont. The underlying concept of the proposed architectural design ensures a harmonious implantation and integration into the existing architectural landscape. The following document presents the project context, the architectural and landscaping concept, a brief regulatory analysis, as well as the project’s compliance with the objectives and criteria of the PIIA.
Although the site under consideration is within the industrial zone, the construction of a new architectural project on this site must also consider the institutional language of the buildings of the future MIL Campus and the Nouvel Outremont. The project should instead leverage the advantages of both existing languages and create a dialogue between the two styles, linking the character of the industrial past with the aesthetics of the new institutions. The developed architectural project will act as a bridge between the two urban interfaces.
It is essential to analyze the various buildings associated with the industrial language of the sector to ensure the successful integration of the new building within its context, as these represent the vast majority of constructions in the area. For integration purposes, it is important to identify the main characteristics of industrial constructions. These typically share several common points to consider: industrial production is efficient, rational, and functional, which translates into the aesthetics of its container. As a result, industrial architecture is generally “massive,” formally and volumetrically simple (monolithic), and devoid of any ornamentation. The industrial rationale also determines the urban form of these sectors, with the building’s shape often resulting from a simple extrusion of the maximum buildable area of the land.