The magic of transdisciplinarity, infused with tribute and significance
There are countless enduring ways to honour names in a city from street names and statues to towering monuments. For the Place des Montréalaises and its commemoration of 21 influential women and their impact on Montreal, the timelessness of its tribute takes shape as a living organism that grows and evolves with the seasons.
This is where landscape, architecture and art come together in one restorative gesture. The Place des Montréalaises transforms an urban landscape long scarred by a sunken expressway with suspended blossoming meadow, rejoining disconnected districts and their majestic landmarks to one another. Arranged on an inclined plane, the meadow is filled with 21 sections of indigenous plants to explore by foot, each chosen to represent a female Montrealer of influence. Each will flower sequentially as the calendar year turns, giving each woman her moment in the sun.
The names of these women also make their mark on the plane’s integrated staircase that invites passersby to relax, socialize, and take in the view of the four public spaces found in each corner of the site: The entryway of a citified forest recalling the city’s green lung of Mount Royal; an urban amphitheatre; a multifunctional esplanade for inspired possibilities; and a major urban axis that bridges a divide between the history of Old Montreal with the modernity of downtown.
A celebration of the city’s inclusivity and its cosmopolitan sensibilities, the design for the Place des Montréalaises will be meticulously woven into the urban and monumental fabric of Montreal, each careful detail stitching in the everlasting importance of women to its growth and celebrated character.
“This project is healing the city by connecting back over the highway to join two major precincts. It also honours the memory of 21 women who were so important to the evolution of Montreal. It imagines itself throughout the year through a meadow of flowers, trying to take advantage of all of the seasons. It’s beautifully rendered through line drawings. ” – Susan Fitzgerald, juror, Canadian Architect Awards
Watch the City of Montreal’s video +
