Redesigning of the area around Champ-de-Mars metro station
National Ideas Competition
Le champ des citoyens (2nd prize, $12,500)
Jean Beaudoin, architect, Intégral Jean Beaudoin + Christian Barré, artist and videographer + Fabian Rendon and Viorel Indries, architectural technicians + Studio Huma Design
Professional category
“This project is a creative layout of a truly public space. Its design is linked to a unique lighting device that makes use of social networking technology to create an engaging and lively democratic representation. The space is decorated with symbolic references that recall the values of civic responsibility. A series of small, intimate cafés (50 seats or fewer) where people can talk are integrated into a large glass mirror wall. Let the discussions begin!”
(Excerpt from proposal)
“The jury viewed this proposal for a vast, authentic civic square as a celebration of public space: a re-invention of Champ-de-Mars consistent with the institutional context of the buildings bordering its southern perimeter. The empty space allows for development of an area reserved for media and technology firms, a field of excel- lence in Montréal. The room afforded for citizen expression, manifest in the lighting design and a proposal for a voice-amplification structure, testifies to Montréal’s democratic traditions and projects a renewed image of them.”
(Excerpt from jury report)