VILLEMARIE

after the 'grand opening' are people changing their tunes about the OSM? lol...sorry for the pun

Do you think the authorities will solve the problem by pushing out the homeless? I'm a little skeptical, only because this seems like a never-ending hassle.

The minimalistic attributes of this building are what compel me. I have nothing critical to say about it, simply because its clean lines, transparency and integration in the city give me that "homing" feeling...a comfortable, accessible, welcoming effect. A more iconic design, something like Iceland's concert hall is like visiting a five star hotel; an amazing experience complete with impressive displays and a "wow" factor, but not somewhere you'd want to spend your life...in the end, you can't wait to get home!!! One more point. Other cities create conspicuous designs to herald to the world that they are a cultural centre; their buildings reflect their lust for recognition. The best thing about Montreal? It IS a cultural centre. There is no need to have a fireworks display to prove something. In fact, harmonious allurement proclaims cultural confidence louder than any epic masterpiece could.

Um..hello? Montreal doesn't have to "put forward" the idea of investing in culture, like it's some sort of hobby "hum..we should invest in...CULTURE today". The pride, the heritage, the true meaning of culture is oozing out of MTL's pores. It's too bad when a city that has no foundational culture starts drumming up one. AND...the OSM hall is awesome...understated elegance that will outlive any blazing star architecture that dazzles spectators then quickly loses its charm as trends shift.

Published in the Toronto Star on Friday, September 2, 2011 Montreal orchestra’s new home boring, boxy, and for some just right Montreal's controversial new opera house is big, boxy and an architectural bore. Turns out, that's just how the musicians like it MONTREAL – There’s the psychedelic, honeycomb glass skeleton of the Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall, or the impossibly space-age Guangzhou Opera House that made one critic want to “burst out in song,” the most recent examples of concert halls that have captured international renown, along with imaginations and emotion, as many are designed to do. That’s not the case in Montreal, where the new home of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the “Adresse Symphonique,” is being given its final touches for an inaugural performance Sept. 7. Mostly what this building has captured is a lot of depressing commentary. Critics say it’s a building that is painfully unmemorable, a missed opportunity to give Montreal a new architectural spark. Some blame the process out of which it was born, a public-private partnership, for the uninspired result. On the other hand, the acoustics are said to be stellar, a characteristic the building’s defenders argue is most important. “I think we could have gone for a more, let’s say daring, proposal, something more in harmony with the creative spirit of Montreal,” said Georges Adamczyk, a professor of architecture at the Université de Montreal who consulted with the government at the proposal stage. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a nice building, but it has to be interesting or surprising, and I don’t think we have that. It’s not bad building. It’s a good Diamond and Schmitt building. But it’s not their best.” Diamond and Schmitt is the same Toronto firm that designed Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. There is a similarity at first glance, with the buildings in Toronto and Montreal both featuring glassy front foyers and stone walled sides. Toronto’s opera house itself received some lukewarm reviews. Notably, the Toronto Star’s own architecture critic, Christopher Hume, named it one of the city’s new “worst” buildings, saying its facades delivered a “deadening effect” to the street. Architect Matthew Lella, who worked on both buildings, allowed only that the “esthetic” was similar in Montreal but the design was a bit different. “Like two Radiohead records,” he said in an interview. “Different sound but the same thread.” Critics have not been kind. Lise Bissonnette, a heavyweight on Montreal’s cultural scene who oversaw the construction of the lauded, ultramodern provincial library and archives, told Radio-Canada she thought the new concert hall was a “missed opportunity.” It’s an “acceptable building,” she declared, “but not one that will be a signature for Montreal.” Some point to the project being a public-private sector partnership as limiting the artistic vision from the start in favour of concerns over financing and management. As it stands, a consortium led by construction firm SNC Lavalin will manage the building for 30 years. The cost to build and operate the hall over that time is estimated at $259 million. The government will rent the space. The process meant that the decision on which team to choose was made behind closed doors, and was a “business case,” said André Bourassa, president of the Quebec Order of Architects. The public didn’t get to see the other proposals and thus debate the designs. In this way, Bourassa said, “the architecture is not the determining element.” Lella, the project architect, says all the criticism is premature. “The building isn’t even open yet,” he said. “So nobody really knows if it’s audacious or not yet because nobody’s lived in it.” “It’s not a fashion building, not one that’s ‘a la mode,’” ventured project director Michel Languedoc, of the Montreal firm Aedifica. “It’s a building that spends the money to make sure users will have a great experience.” It respects taxpayers, Languedoc added, noting he’s done some calculations and found that Icelanders are paying about $1,000 per person for their new concert hall. Montrealers will pay about $15 each. Adamczyk was more concerned about what it means for the city’s cultural prowess. “Montreal has the ambition to be a cultural metropolis. When we see our competitor Toronto put forward the idea of investing in culture. . . it seems that there, some people have said we are going to do something and they did it. “In Montreal we have the feeling we talk a lot but have not done it.” Retired teacher and orchestra-lover Alan Strand is simply happy the new concert hall is here. They’ve been talking about one for decades. On Thursday, the Lachine resident took a walk in downtown Montreal to see it for himself. His assessment? “Well, the glass part is kind of boring. It’s not the Sydney Opera House, or the Spanish Guggenheim,” he said. “Obviously they went with acoustics rather than architectural statement. It’d have been nice if they did both. But these are hard times.” All that said, he was quick to qualify his impression. “It looks okay.” http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1048166--famous-opera-houses?bn=1

Perhaps the lower foundational wall isn't stable enough to be freestanding without the support of the soil?

In some ways this attitude that was nurtured by the previous generations has hindered Quebec's development as a serious financial competitor even today. People's perception of Quebec is not primarily "financial hothouse" is it? In some ways I'd say this is a positive development - in the sense that Quebec's priorities have never been solely capitalistic and other arteries of growth have formed, expanding on cultural, intrinsically valuable industries that exude innovation - very cool for onlookers and Quebecois, but unfortunately not drawing the investors that accelerate every aspect of growth. This perception is destined to change though, with the changing attitudes and less wary prejudices towards outside investors.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the media is always interested in sensationalism. With a depressing, doomsday title, this article is only capitalizing on that aspect of journalism. Yes, factors of this are played out in reality, but not to the degree of negativity portrayed in this article. Besides, Quebec right now shouldn't be looking around, or in the rear-view mirror. There are so many positive projects pushing through that will create revenue and optimism and will have far-reaching effects; not only in Quebec, but internationally. If soulless finance was the only drawing point for companies to locate in MTL, I'd have to agree with this article and say it's the end of the world. But there's no disputing that companies are attracted to MTL because of the atmosphere, the unique 'joie de vie', the edginess, the excitment of this city. That stuff's contagious! A company that is healthy is in an atmosphere that challenges all of its sectors, and the big guys know it. Only a matter of time my friends...

http://www.blachford.ca/news.php Apparently all kinds of chemicals...yuck...with tonnes of non-degradable waste. Heading to Ontario !!! Great this location is opening up for development. Wait and see!!

Just goes to show how inspiring a charismatic, optimistic leader can be. He turned our political scene up on its end because he sincerely, fervently believed in his cause. Whether people held his political views or not is irrelavant; his leadership skills were extraordinary. We need more people like him in our governing parties.

One of the key components of Quebec's charm and magnetism is the ability to integrate the indoors with the outdoors...the terraces and the street interaction are amazing! If some of these smaller cities can achieve that niche, they WILL become more and more attractive to visitors. Quebec already has the reputation of providing warm, engaging hospitality and it's great to see it happening to it's fullest potential. LOVE IT!

It'd be great to have Longueuil developed as more of a destination point rather than it's current position as a "suburb" of MTL...

I think this is great! Yeah, it's not in Montreal anymore, but look at the expansion! Montreal will never run out of innovative ideas; there HAS to be fresh, exciting changes in the videogame industry and I know the MTL studio is up for the challenge. Why not show the rest of the world what MTL is capable of? Having Ubisoft's largest development studio in Montreal says it all. I think it's about time the rest of Canada and the rest of the world sees the jewel that MTL is and realizes that it's just the beginning...No one (not even toronto ) can imitate innovation, even if Ubisoft IS expanding into ROC.

Would the quiet revolution and the sociopolitical change in Quebec's landscape relate to Quebec's repugnance of overt opulence that was so prevalent amongst the "anglos"? Perhaps the association of wealth with oppressive 'foreign' dominance leads to it being a well-kept secret in Quebec.