Museum of Contemporary Art - Finalist

Text extracted from the proposal (originally in french) :

“ Going beyond conventional architectural “composition”, we propose an open, non-hierarchical approach, in which movement and public areas are subtly superimposed on the malleable, flexible space of the exhibition venues. Between the “explicit” of exhibition spaces, workshops and auditoriums, and the “implicit” of public uses such as lobbies, cafés, stores AND the transitional space between exhibitions, we introduce the space of the “in-between”. A place of movement and discovery, it allows visitors to understand the space and its uses, and offers a synthetic vision of the space. The reception area, a space both within and between, defines the museum's identity. In the new MAC, the hall becomes a “Public Living Room”, a place of architectural emotion.

The large interior void, an event space par excellence, allows maximum public occupation and creates transparency between the different levels and towards the urban context. This large linear hall extends horizontally from the main reception area on Ste-Catherine to the exhibition spaces at the end of the block. This atrium, qualified by an engineered wood framework and curtain wall, houses sculptural staircases and a panoramic elevator. Open to the Esplanade, this space showcases the exhibition spaces and all the museum's public uses. It thus becomes a dynamic, appropriable space open to the city. Works can be created, exhibited or hung here. In addition to the main hall and the Place-des-Arts underground promenade, this agora is accessible via a new entrance on the Place des Festivals and from the Esplanade. ”