Call for municipal projects - 2014

Incentive for competition organization

The 2014 call for projects is meant to provide financial support for the organization of architecture or design competitions to add value to public urban projects. It is addressed to the boroughs, Ville de Montréal central departments, the Société de transports de Montréal, the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal, and Stationnement Montréal.

Examples of eligible public projects include construction, interior design or renovations to cultural, sports, community or public-transit facilities; development of a public site; and installation of street furniture or public signage. Design workshops and ideas competitions are not eligible, nor or projects that have already received funding for competition support, such as those eligible under the Programme de rénovation, d’agrandissement et de construction des bibliothèques (RAC, or Ville de Montréal library renovation, expansion and construction program).

Each selected project will receive:

• funding of more than $100,000 to prepare and hold an architecture or design competition; plus
• guidance from the Design Montréal team in running the competition as well as publicizing and promoting the outcomes.

Selection criteria and procedure 

A committee, made up of: 

• a recognized outside expert in architecture, urban planning and design; 
• representatives of the partners (the Ville de Montréal and the Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine); and
• a representative of Montréal, métropole culturelle)

will select, among the eligible entries, projects that are deserving of being the subject of a competition, using the following criteria:

• Added value for the selected Montréal urban projects provided by a contest; i.e., the difference in the value of the project with and without a competition;
• The public interest of the project; i.e., the relative contribution of the project in a usage context;
• The guarantees of project completion (expertise, budgets, regulations, risk);
• Compliance of the submitted project with the objectives of Montréal, UNESCO City of Design; and 
• Implementation of the project after its selection.

The selection process will also consider fair distribution of chosen projects: 

• by type (e.g., buildings, public sites, street furniture);
• based on the disciplines that will be involved (urban, industrial and graphic design, architecture, landscape architecture, etc.);
• according to geographical distribution within the territory of Montréal; and
• based on their exemplary nature (potential as precursor of further applications elsewhere in the city).

How to apply

Interested applicants must submit all necessary documents ahead of the deadline specified in Appel à projets 2014 – Incitatif à la tenue de concours. 

First submission, before Thursday, May 8, 2014; 

Second submission, before Thursday, October 2, 2014.

Please direct any questions to Caroline Dubuc of the Bureau du design at @email