Canadian Architecture : Architecture Information

Palais des Congrés, Montréal, Quebec - Realisation: Les architectes Tétrault, Dubuc, Saia et associés Hal Ingberg architecte (Independant architectural consultant and co-designer) Montreal Convention Centre Location: place Jean-Paul-Riopelle Client : La Société immobilière du Québec Budget : $240,000,000 Competition laureate: 1999 Completion : Jul 2003 Photographs: All Palais des Congrès de Montréal photos by Hal Ingberg Concept Hovering above the gash created by an urban expressway, the original Palais des Congrès de Montréal constituted an important psychological barrier separating Old Montreal from the modern city. This project repairs the damaged urban tissue by filling in the absent ground level and by creating urgently required spaces of connection, that is: public and commercial activity and numerous major pedestrian links. A generously dimensioned, wedge shaped pedestrian mall runs the entire 300m northern length of the building. Bathed in both natural light and a luminous ceiling, this space links rue Saint-Urbain on the east with a spectacular public room, the new Hall Bleury, on the west.. The Hall Bleury extends the entire length of rue de Bleury and is the urban focal point of the project. It is a grand urban room, whose casual sectional arrangement of floor and void is revealed on the stepped main facade of multicoloured glass. The urban intention is to clearly indicate its public function and iconic aspiration. Spatially, the Hall Bleury is a receptacle for a startling play of cast coloured light. Bordering the "L" shaped plan resulting from the meeting of the pedestrian mall and the Hall Bleury, the scheme is further divided into 3 conceptual "rings" that structure and organize the planning of the interior space. The outer layer of each ring house mostly commercial activity, while the “holes” within hide a series of loading docks, truck ramps, bus stations and other service areas. Between each ring, two pedestrian passageways re-establish the north-south urban link previously severed by the expressway, reconnecting Old Montréal to the modern city. As a general rule, the building grafts itself onto the four pre-exiting buildings on its site, in such a way as to always retain an equivalence of height with respect to this context. Therefore, in spite of its many dramatic characteristics, the expanded Palais des Congrès is highly contextual, and oddly enough, almost chameleon-like. Canadian Architecture Palais des Congrés photos from Hal Ingberg architecte in May 2008 Contact: Hal Ingberg architecte 4844, avenue Henri-Julien, Montréal Canada H2T 2E1 514.843.6578 www.halingberg.com info@halingberg.com