Octogone Library - Finalist

Text extracted from the team's proposal (originally in French) :

"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."