ville-marie Place des Arts : rénovations extérieures

[internationalx]

the problem is the ste catherine street entrance, but the plans won't do anything to fix it. They are missing the boat completely. The main entrance should not be from the basement which is effectively where it is. They need to simply get rid of this entrance and the fountain as it and build a proper cohesive plaza entrance. Extend the grand staircase from the west side all the way to the east side and reconstitue fountains of some sort on top of the plaza. This is the one MAJOR flaw in the PDA design. The Ste Catherine street basement entrance is so anti-climactic and NON-glamourous for such a venue. This has been the complaint since it was built. Look at Lincoln Center. Entrance done right.

[qatzelok]

Malek mentions the Ste Catherine and St Urban walls as being ugly, but is there a single elevation of Place des Arts that isn't beton massif?

 

DeMaisonneuve is probably the most elegant elevation, and it looks like a Pharmaceutical headquarters in Point Claire.

 

I think the PdA is going to have to do a more serious revamp of all four of its facades in the near future. It's not enough to look good in photos if your building kills all the streets it is on.

[mtlurb]

those walls should be "textured" somehow, a bit like the metallic canvas on the main building, i wish i had a pic at hand.

 

Something tomake those walls less boring, maybe plexiglass?? i don't know, how about a contest for local artists.

[internationalx]

Though I agree with you about the back of PdA facing de Maisonneuve, I disagree that something has to be done to the buildings themselves. They are beautiful in design and are mid- century modern which is celebrated. Only in Montreal do we constantly try to improve modern architecture and only end up ruining it for the future; and the renos always age BADLY. How many modern builindgs did we muck up with 80's glass on some parts? It just ends up looking like a mish mash of styles.

 

PdA has to remain pure in its modern aesthetic or else we ruin it. It is art. We don't go around updating Renoirs or Matissses.

 

They simply need to make the Plaza entrance the main entrance and get rid of the street level bunker entrance. Extend the grand staircase to Ste Cath.

[cjb]

Je suis d'accord avec internationalx, la Pda est très intéressante tel quel. Il ne faut pas la modifier. La fontaine en été, les festivals, cet endroit possède sa magie.

[qatzelok]

Though I agree with you about the back of PdA facing de Maisonneuve, I disagree that something has to be done to the buildings themselves. They are beautiful in design and are mid- century modern which is celebrated.

I wasn't really critiquing the architectural style or cladding of the exterior walls, so much as their lack of use or openings. I would propose to reconstruct the perimeter walls so that they house activities and windows on activities. Obviously, some new materials could be used - as long as they are compatible with the original design and cladding materials.

 

But Malek's suggestion of decorating the walls with art or plixeglass - I don't think that would improve the feeling you get walking around this blank cube.

 

It's like Complexe Desjardins used to be a decade ago before they opened it up. Cold and boring all around, with just one single "view" that is interesting to look at for the passer-by (Ste-Catherine on the south side walking east).

 

That's it. Every other way to walk by this building is like walking in a cement trench. Very anti-urban. The city now spends a few million dollars each summer to entice suburbanites to hang around listening to free jazz just to put some life on all the adjacent streets. Imagine if those walls were permanently lined with jazz clubs and food concessions, bike rentals and bakeries, all summer long. Why do we think the street around that theater complex should be dead space? It makes no sense to have a dead space in the middle of a theatre district.

[internationalx]

I agree. Especially on Jeanne Mance. The design of the Musee d'Art Contemporain, generally a good-looking building, was a total failure: the west facade is nothing but a concrete wall and some garage doors. It turns its back on the city completely. Almost rejects the city. There are quite a few buildings downtown that do that.

[monctezuma]

I agree. Especially on Jeanne Mance. The design of the Musee d'Art Contemporain, generally a good-looking building, was a total failure: the west facade is nothing but a concrete wall and some garage doors. It turns its back on the city completely. Almost rejects the city. There are quite a few buildings downtown that do that.

 

Par contre, dans le plan de la Place des festivals, on prévoit ajouter plusieurs café et terrasses le long de cette même facade. Tu sais surement de quoi je parles. Le tout sera beaucoup mieux d'ici 5 ans. Et j'espère 3 ans.

[qatzelok]

Le tout sera beaucoup mieux d'ici 5 ans. Et j'espère 3 ans.

J'espere que t'as raison.

 

L'exemple du complexe Desjardins m'encourage, un peu. C'etait bien pire il y as 10 ans. Pourtant, il reste du travail a faire sur les facades Jeanne-Mance et St-Urbain.

[mtlurb]

Plusieurs immeubles au centre villes ont ouverts des façades dans leur podiums donnant sur la rue.... Par exemple la tour de la bourse, place ville marie, et autres places sur maisonneuve par exemple... c'est très encourageant et je crois que place des arts poursuivra dans la même veine.