Between August 10 and September 1, we invited the next generation of developers to rethink the Craig Pumping Station. Located between the Jacques-Cartier Bridge and the Molson Brewery, the station is frequently the focus of media and public attention. Although its heritage value is recognized, the industrial building has continued to deteriorate since its closure in the late 1980s.
However, a re-qualification is possible. Its sister station, Riverside station, is now home to the Forges de Montréal.
When you listen to him, the next generation has a say!
Paloma Castonguay-Rufino, co-president of Next Generation Committee, explains the committee's intention behind the competition: "We wanted to seize the opportunity of a collaboration with Héritage Montréal to give a platform to the next generation of heritage professionals through the ideation competition, which is a tool for reflecting on real and current issues related to Montreal's built heritage.
With 22 projects submitted, this first edition was a success and will be renewed in 2021. "The next generation responded to the call in large numbers, demonstrating their talent, critical eye and creativity through the diversity and quality of their proposals. All of the ideas put forward reflect a variety of interventions and positions that take a committed look at the city, thereby revealing its many potentials," adds Paloma.
Winning project of the competition: "The Mecca of Vacancy, Chance and Becoming".
The jury, composed of Sonia Blank, Paloma Castonguay-Rufino, Pierre Corriveau, Guillaume Éthier and Julia Gersovitz*, was won over by an "anti-planning" vision.
Laurence Boire, Camyl Vigneault and Samuel Rancourt have chosen to "encapsulate the state of vacancy". Since no stone will be left unturned in the redevelopment of the Faubourg as part of Ville de Montréal 's Programme particulier d'urbanisme (PPU), the team proposes to create an enclave, a wasteland, that would highlight the current state of Station Craig, as well as the former buildings on the block that have now disappeared.
" From the very beginning of our research, it was the crossover between historical findings and documents on the future of the sector that struck us the most. There is a real clash between the two and it seemed obvious to us to situate the project at the heart of this dichotomy. The project of the Haut lieu is to offer itself the right to write poetry between two boulevards, to dream of the past, but also of the possible. It means keeping a certain amount of improvisation and relative, even in urban development projects.»
Laurence Boire, Member of the winning team
It is a contemporary architectural installation that would therefore "encapsulate the current state of wasteland in the place". A metal structure would invite the walker to walk through and contemplate this "time capsule". The interior would offer a garden composed of oaks, spruces and pines. The Craig Station would be restored and would house an interpretation centre.
Jury's Favourite Project: "At the Crossroads".
Jérôme Généreux, Gabriel Tremblay and Cédric Vermette propose an educational and historical walk that would lead to Craig Station, transformed into an interpretation centre. This new park would welcome citizens on a completely landscaped site. Water and awareness of climate change would be the main themes and would remind people of the original use of the pumping station. Through topographical modifications, the park would isolate itself from the street and the activity that takes place there. The park would then be extended to Erie Street in a second phase.
The team also added an education component to its project. The primary vocation of the pumping station would be recalled through visits and explanatory panels. The layout of the garden would also be inspired by the floods and ice jams of previous centuries. Finally, the walk would enable visitors to understand the process of water recovery thanks to a rainwater retention basin.
"The proposal aims to present a rehabilitation and fast-food project to save the Station Craig building by recalling the importance of its history and informing about new climate issues. The team hopes that the abandoned heritage buildings of ville de Montréal can be given a new lease of life and shine in their respective neighborhoods."
The "à LA CROISÉE DES CHEMINS" project team
Congratulations to Laurence Boire, Samuel Rancourt and Camyl Vigneault, as well as to Jérôme Généreux, Gabriel Tremblay and Cédric Vermette, who received "Carnet d'un promeneur" by Dinu Bumbaru, courtesy of Éditions La Presse.
We would like to thank all the participants and invite you to discover the boards of the other teams that participated in the competition : Jeremy Adam Barbosa and Maya Gauvreau Cadieux, Mathias Beaulieu-Labbé and Sarah El Debs and Ariane Viens-Désautels, Étienne Bourque-Viens, Isabel Cano and Kim Sharon-Jin and Caroline Zhang, Carlos Cruz-Merino and César Cruz-Merino, Jérémie Dussault-Lefebvre and Sébastien Roy, Mathieu Emond and Jean-Philippe Laliberté and Frédérique St-Arnaud, Andy Hiep Vu and Kevin Hsieh and Samantha Julia Kim, Catherine Juneau and Sophie Juneau, Timophei Kirpitchnikov and Chantal Shahin-Cajas, , Benjamin Lavoie Laroche and Arianna Noera, Laurence Massicotte and Charline Ouellet, Mouna Naoui, Gabriel Normandeau, Hamid Nouri, Quentin Savignac, Juan Jose Serna, Tyler Sloan, Benedicte Simard, Alexander Venditti and Matthew Venditti.
*The projects submitted were evaluated by the following jury:
- Sonia Blank, Intern in architecture at EVOQ Architecture
- Paloma Castonguay-Rufino, Co-President of Next Generation Committee .Héritage Montréal
- Pierre Corriveau, Associate Architect at CGA Architects and President of the Ordre des architectes du Québec
- Guillaume Éthier, Professor of Urban Studies at UQAM and member of the Canada Research Chair in Urban Heritage
- Julia Gersovitz, Professor of Practice, Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture at McGill University, co-founder of EVOQ Architecture
About the Next Generation Committee
Héritage Montréal Next Generation Committee, created in 2016, wants to bring heritage to life differently, a laboratory for exploring alternative activities related to the discovery (or rediscovery) of heritage. The committee's mission is to develop new avenues of awareness, communication and exchange with up-and-coming architecture, urban planning, heritage and design professionals interested in Montreal's built heritage, in order to multiply collaborative opportunities and facilitate the sharing of diverse experiences and journeys. Comprising a dozen volunteer members, the Comité de la relève organizes events (tours, exhibitions, film-causeries, etc.) to take a playful, original and committed approach to Montreal's heritage.
