Saucier + Perrotte Architectes' Glass Pavilion entry for Espace Pour La Vie in Montreal

Saucier + Perrotte Architectes from Montreal shared their approach in the recently concluded Espace Pour La Vie botanical garden competition. The open competition, which officially launched in February 2014, sought the best proposals for three major projects: the Insectarium Metamorphosis, the Biodôme Migration, and the Glass Pavilion at the Botanical Garden.

Saucier + Perrotte was a finalist to design the Glass Pavilion against In situ atelier d’architecture, Kuehn Malvezzi (who won the Insectarium) and Lacaton & Vassal architectes.

They weren't selected for the project, but scroll down further and you can see how they would've designed the Glass Pavilion.

Project description:

"HOLISTIC AND BIOPHILIC APPROACH -  The traditional boundaries between architecture, landscape, scenography and lighting are   blurred as the visitor experiences an immersive universe which resembles the exploratory trip of the naturalist. 

THE TREE - Completing the greenhouses and the Centre for Biodiversity, the Glass Pavilion establishes the connection between the indoor and outdoor while announcing the Rose Garden. The pavilion is conceived with the motivation to create a continuous space between the interior and exterior promenade. Its circular shape is intuitive; relating to the existing site conditions and paths and appears eroded by the surrounding nature. Its composition recalls the trunk of a tree, whose structure distributes energy vertically through each of its elements. This same upward energy is present in the Glass Pavilion."

"THE TRAIL - Pursuing this idea of blurring the boundary between inside and outside, the concept of the pavilion borrows from the gardens one of its strongest elements:  the path. The project is conceived as a natural extension, a three-dimensional path connected to the existing gardens. The resultant experience is analogous to a walk through a luminous forest, culminating at a suspended water garden that provides a mirror to the sky. During the ascent, colored glass filters the light while vertical elements create a reference to the forest. In summer the building is naturally ventilated, as outside air enters to accompany the inner loop.

This new evolutionary garden becomes a high vantage point, a window on the near and distant panoramas; the Rose Garden as well as the Quebec landscape. Ultimately it is a microcosm of the local landscape itself and a representation of the world that can be admired from above in this new intimate space. To the east, the volume is polished to allow the deployment of the roots and branches of three magnificent oaks. This mirror-like surface creates a virtual forest through which we access the trail to begin our ascent."

"THE MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM - The multipurpose room is the negative space created by the presence of this new peripheral trail. The promenade is simply lifted to allow continuity between the Rose Garden and the courtyard of the Centre for Biodiversity at ground level. The building is never an obstacle as it calls for fluidity, transparency and lightness. This versatile space becomes the receptacle, a clear chamber receiving the changing image of the different natural elements. The water reflections on the roof, whose presence varies with the seasons and climate, are transposed into the room by the use of large squares of light. In winter, the water gives way to snow and ice, changing the interior atmosphere."

"AQUATIC SKY - The experience of the suspended aquatic sky is unique and always renewed by the variability of the time, temperature, light, wind on snow, and light on ice. Between rooted land and suspended water, the visitor will experience a weightlessness; a memory of the human connection to water. 

LANDSCAPE - The fifth facade - the accessible roof - presents a unique situation: that of a more intimate landscape opening up views to the Rose Garden and onto the vast Montreal sky. This microcosm focuses on the characteristics of the Quebec landscape while providing a surface to accommodate the programmatic elements of the Glass Pavilion.  Arriving on the roof, visitors discover a mirror of water reflecting the sky. This new garden presents an evolving exhibition of aquatic plants curated according to the flowering periods of the various species."

Project credits:

Project name – Glass Pavilion at the Botanical Garden
Project city, country – Montréal, Canada
Designer /architect – Saucier + Perrotte Architectes
Project description – Multipurpose space for horticultural events and corporate functions
Status of project / expected completion (if applicable) – Design competition entry, Finalist
Photo credit – Saucier + Perrotte Architectes and Luxigon

Lead Design Architect – Gilles Saucier
Design Team – Gilles Saucier, André Perrotte, Dominique Dumais, Maxime Leclerc, Julien Nolin, Marie-Eve Primeau, Olivier Blouin

Exhibition Design – Studio Adeline Rispal
Landscape Architect – Michel Desvigne Paysagiste
Lighting – Yann Kersalé
Structural Engineer – Guy Nordenson and Associates / Pasquin St-Jean
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer – Pageau Morel and Associates
Multimedia – Innovision  LEED expert – Lyse Tremblay / ecoArchitecture

Click the thumbnails below for more project images.