The Borough of Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is holding an urban design competition to develop the area surrounding public roads in the heart of the Namur – Jean-Talon West sector, delimited for the purposes of the competition by De La Savane Street to the north, Mountain Sights Avenue to the west, the Canadian Pacific Railway to the south and Victoria Avenue to the east.
The competition's objective is to transform some of the area’s road corridors into quality public spaces for community use, give greater prominence to pedestrians, encourage everyone to make the new spaces their own, and make a positive contribution to the district’s new identity. The project is inspired by the principles of transit-oriented development (TOD) and aims to leverage the proximity of two métro stations, an advantageous geographical location within the city, as well as the excellent potential for densification in the area.
The competition is aimed at eliciting and evaluating redevelopment and urban design concepts that satisfy or exceed the expectations of the borough with regard to the challenges posed by the project that is the subject of the competition. Subsequently it is aimed at mandating the laureate to draw up plans and specifications for the project to be completed.
This competition is:
- open,
- multidisciplinary,
- Canada-wide,
- held in two stages: the first by anonymous proposals and the second, by paid services submitted by four (4) finalists.
Stage 1 - Proposals
The jury will be asked to shortlist four (4) finalists at the end of the first stage, during which registered applicants will have submitted proposals anonymously.
Stage 2 - Submissions
The finalists will then be invited to prepare a project presentation, with compensation, leading to selection of a winner.
The competition follows a hybrid formula, being both a “project competition” and an “ideas competition.” The “project” component covers the public areas determined by Paré and Buchan streets and part of Victoria Avenue, the design of redevelopment to be completed in this space, and the installation of 4 pedestrian crossings on Mountain Sights Avenue, normally leading to a project completion mandate. The "ideas” component will be used to propose development plans for the remaining private and public spaces in the sector.
Any team may be accepted as a competitor that is made up of at least two principal designers who meet the following conditions at the time of entering:
- Membership of any of the following professional orders or associations of Quebec or their equivalents in another Canadian province: Ordre des architectes du Québec; Ordre des urbanistes du Québec; Association des urbanistes et aménagistes municipaux du Québec; Association des architectes paysagistes du Québec; Association des Designers industriels du Québec. (If not a member of any such order or association, a candidate may supply two letters signed by people who are members in good standing, certifying peer recognition of their practice, and a copy of a relevant university degree.)
- At least one principal designer per team must have a head office in Quebec at the time of entering.
The jury, which is the same for both stages, comprises the following individuals:
- Martin Brière, architect, Brière, Gilbert + associés
- Ken Greenberg, chair of the jury, architect and urban designer, Greenberg Consultants Inc. (Toronto)
- Daniel Lafond, Directeur de l’aménagement urbain et des services aux entreprises, Borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
- Gérald Lajeunesse, former chief landscape architect, National Capital Commission (Ottawa)
- Brian Smith, employment consultant and supervisor of the Minorités visibles project, Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de Côte-des-Neiges
- Annie Tardivon, landscape architect DPLG, In Situ Paysagistes (Lyon, France)
- Geneviève Vachon, architect and full professor of urban design, École d’architecture de l’Université Laval
Registration in the competition is mandatory and free of charge. It allows competitors to obtain the competition documents and to be connected to the professional advisors' communications network. The registration form can be filled out online on the following site: www.letrianglemontreal.com.
To register, the completed registration form must be sent by e-mail, no later than 4:00 p.m. on May 27, 2011, to [email protected].
The complete proposal or service offering of competitors or finalists must be received by the following dates at the address below:
Stage 1/ Anonymous proposals
Monday, June 6, 2011, 4:00 p.m.
Stage 2/ Finalists’ service offerings
Friday, August 19, 2011, 4:00 p.m.
Submission address:
Secrétaire d’arrondissement
Direction des services administratifs et du greffe
Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Borough
5160, Boulevard Décarie, bureau 600
Montréal (Québec) H3X 2H9
The joint professional advisors for the competition are:
- Jacques White, architect, principal professional advisor
- Isabelle Le Clair, assistant professional advisor
All questions linked to the competition must be sent to them at [email protected].