Octogone Library - Finalist
For the Octogone Library competition in LaSalle, EVOQ proposed an open, adaptable and expressive architecture that integrates with the heritage geometry of the original octagon.
The project draws on the sense of place and its enhancement through carefully articulated urban, landscape and architectural interventions. In direct dialogue with Félix-Leclerc Park, the new urban form takes advantage of natural light and vegetation to bring warmth to an often hard-edged urban environment.
The civic spaces — a forecourt, an urban gallery, lounges and a south esplanade — are oriented toward the neighbourhood's key points of interest. The interpenetration of interior and exterior spaces creates a permeability that draws passersby from Dollard Avenue, while extending the library's activities outward.
EVOQ was a finalist in this competition in 2017.
Étienne Forget
Alexis Charbonneau
Anne-Catherine Richard
Civiliti
NCK
BPA
Octave
Groupe A/U architectes
"We propose an open, free, modular, flexible and expressive architecture that integrates and overlays the geometry of the original octagon. Our approach is based on a sense of place, enhanced by urban, landscape, spatial and architectural features. These emphasize new uses, but also accompany the movement of people, while highlighting the urban, social and cultural history of the site.
Directly linked to Parc Félix-Leclerc, the new urban and architectural figure takes advantage of the changing modulation of light and the positive impact of nature in a living environment that is often too mineral. A coherent, attractive landscape approach supports our approach. Civic spaces - a forecourt, an urban gallery, its “lounges” and the southern esplanade - are oriented towards the neighborhood's main points of interest. The interpenetration of exterior and interior spaces qualifies the project's key spaces, sometimes accompanying movement, sometimes relaxation. The permeability of the architecture ensures a call, an invitation, from the civic axis of Dollard Avenue. With its direct link to Parc Félix-Leclerc, the Octogone library's new spatial form takes advantage of the richness of its setting and the possibilities for extending its activities outwards."
