COMPETITION OVERVIEW
On January 26, 2018, the City of Montreal officially announced that the Decelles Shared Street proposal by the Borough of Saint-Laurent would be awarded funding over 3 years to create a pedestrian-friendly corridor between Décarie and Sainte-Croix. This funding not only includes permanent infrastructure changes, but also 2 years of temporary installations during the planning and public consultation process. Decelles Street leads directly to Vanier College and is the main path used by students and others coming from Metro Côte-Vertu. Thus, the transformation of Decelles has the potential to greatly benefit the entire Vanier community and create a vibrant promenade extending out from our campus.
I.D.E.A.S. Studio Vanier contributed to the Decelles Shared Street proposal and has been working with the Borough of Saint-Laurent to set-up this competition, which gives students the opportunity to design and build temporary structures along Decelles Street for the summer of 2018. This will be the 2nd-annual collaboration with the Borough. In 2017, for the Montreal 375 celebrations, nine teams of Architectural Technology students made proposals for an outdoor stage to embellish Place Rodolphe Rousseau located at Côte-Vertu Metro station. The winning design was built at Vanier with a team of volunteer students and teachers working intensely for the full month of June. A municipal crew then arranged to transport it to the site on a flatbed truck in time for its official opening on July 1, 2017.
For the 2018 competition, student teams will propose a series of engaging installations along Decelles Street that will promote interaction, fitness, and biodiversity, following the objectives of the Borough proposal (see Appendix A). One special constraint involves reusing materials salvaged from the 2017 project (see Appendix B). Refer to the Project Objectives and Requirements section for more details.
Images: Place Rodolphe Rousseau Student Design-Build Project, IDEAS Studio Vanier, 2017
REGISTRATION AND Eligibility
All students enrolled at Vanier College are eligible to participate in the competition. Each team must have at least one Architectural Technology Project 4 (221-620) student, who will act as the team leader and contact person. Each team must also have at least one student from a different year or program (or be willing to have one assigned to them.)
Please use the following link to register online as an individual or team by March 1: https://goo.gl/forms/5MCjfw0yPJweLolh1
PRIZES
The Borough of Saint Laurent has generously offered a $500 grand prize which will be awarded to the best overall design that can realistically be built in 3 weeks in June 2018. Special mentions will also be awarded for the categories of:
- Best Universal Design
- Best Reuse of 2017 Project Materials
- Most Innovative Concept
A selection of projects will also be featured in an exhibition and/or online publication.
JURY
A jury comprised of project partners and collaborators will meet in early April to select the winning proposal and award prizes. The proposals will be assessed on how well they meet the objectives and requirements of this competition brief. Since the designs will be further developed after the competition, the jury will focus primarily on the merits of your design concept. At the same time, the proposal must be resolved enough to show that it is technical feasible to construct within the budget and time constraints.
Note: The project(s) selected to be built are entirely at the discretion of the jury and may combine elements of the best designs.
KEY DATES
DESIGN COMPETITION
Feb 16 MIO sent to all Architectural Technology Project 4 students.
Competition team registration begins
Feb 21 UB Official competition launch and info session (N331)
Mar 1 Registration deadline. Competition documents sent to team leaders
Mar 7 UB (TBC) Consultation with design consultant for 2018 Decelles Shared Street project
Mar 13 & 15 Project 4, Section 1 – Week 8 Design Session – Tues 8-11am & Thurs 2-6pm
Mar 12 & 16 Project 4, Section 2 – Week 8 Design Session – Mon 2-6pm & Fri 8:30-11:30am
Mar 26 (1pm) Submission deadline – email your pdf and drop off your print copy at N342
JURY
Apr 6 (TBC) Jury meets to select winning proposal and honourable mentions
Apr 11 UB Winning proposal and special mentions announced
BUILD
Apr 11 Build Team registration begins
Apr 25 Build Team members confirmed.
Begin preparation of construction plans
May 25 Final construction plans submitted to Borough for approval
June 1-22 Build Team constructs winning design
June 24 Official Opening of Decelles Shared Street, 2018 edition
PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS
This project is foremost an opportunity for students to engage and collaborate with others on a community project. Let this social aspect inspire your design!
In a nutshell, you are asked to propose designs for 3 outdoor structures: one for each of the zones described in the Shared Street proposal (see Appendix A and key plan below). The designs should relate to each other in some way, as a recognisable family of objects (e.g. common colour scheme, material use, pattern, geometry, etc.)
Zones 1 and 2 – For this section of Decelles Street, propose a sculptural element that will create a recognisable landmark or gateway for the Shared Street at Décarie Street end. This element could be a uniquely shaped planter that helps protect the enlarged pedestrian space from traffic, a vertical screen or trellis to conceal garbage and recycling bins, or some other element inspired from the Decelles Shared Street reference documents.
Zone 3 – This section of Decelles Street should engage pedestrians in some kind of interaction: physical, sensorial, intellectual, or emotional. The focus is communication and community engagement. Some ideas include: a billboard promoting local culture or activities; a fitness station for stretching; a game; a musical device; or some other feature that will inspire passers-by to interact. You are encouraged to integrate digital arts or technology in some way.
Zone 4 – Just outside Vanier Collage and next to Decelles Park, this section of the Shared Street should invite people to stay and appropriate the space. You are asked to design a sculptural “parkour/lounge landscape” that folds the proposed wood deck sidewalk extension into blocks, ridges, slopes, or steps that would encourage a variety of activities, including: sitting, chatting, stretching, and playful exercise. The landscape could include a small covered area for seeking shelter from the rain. No stairs or ramps should have a vertical drop of more than 600mm (2 feet).
DSS Project Zones: Borough of Saint-Laurent (2017) Programme d’implantation de rues piétonnes et partagées – Rue Decelles, p 27.
Universal Design – The two main groups addressed by this project are students and seniors. The proposal should not exclude those with reduced mobility or other physical or sensory disabilities. Do your research: a special prize will be offered for the design that best addresses universal design objectives.
Construction and Material Reuse – The design must be easily buildable by students using wood as the main construction material. It will likely be prefabricated off site, so it must be transportable and designed for rapid installation. The budget for new materials should not exceed $2000. Most of the materials for this project will be salvaged from the stage that students built last year. You will find a materials list, drawings and photos of the structure to be deconstructed in Appendix B. You can also go visit the structure first hand. Note that most of the pine boards are painted black and the cedar 2×4 slats have one sides painted blue or green. Some the elements, like the trusses and diagonal screens, will not be practical to disassemble. Again, there will be a special prize given to the most creative reuse of materials.
Size limitations – Other than the 600mm height restriction for fall protection, there are no other size limitations beyond the constraints described in the Borough proposal (Appendix A) and the materials available (Appendix B). Your site plans should clearly demonstrate that you do not block circulation or create hazards.
Other design objectives – The proposed design should be visually bold and of sculptural interest. The use of colour or graphics is encouraged. Consider this installation as a gift from Vanier College students to the Decelles Shared Street project and local community. Your proposal should inspire the Borough to incorporate your ideas in the more permanent infrastructure.
Images: Parklet on Saint-Laurent Boulevard at Bagg Street, Montreal; 754 Post Street Parklet, San Francisco; Noriega Parklet, San Francisco
DETAILED SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Submit a maximum of 5, 11×17 colour prints, landscape orientation, unstapled in a sealed envelope labeled “DSS” to N342 by the deadline indicated. Team leaders must also send a pdf of their competition entry to: ideas.studio.vanier@gmail.com and include “DSS submission” in the subject line of the e-mail.
Plan your layouts considering that the landscape-oriented sheets will be stacked vertically in an exhibition (sheet 1 on top). Please use the following recommendations for the content of each sheet:
Sheet 1
- Page title: “Design Concept”
- Competition title: “Decelles Shared Street – Vanier College Student Design Competition 2018”
- Your design proposal title (find a catchy title that reflects your design)
- List of team members and any collaborators
- One large 3D view and possibly some smaller views that best portray your design and its use
- A statement of your design intentions and its noteworthy features. Proofread this text carefully!
Sheet 2
- Page title: “Site Plan”
- Competition title: “Decelles Shared Street – Vanier College Student Design Competition 2018”
- Your design proposal title
- 1:1000 or 1:500 site plan clearly identifying the locations of your designs along Decelles Shared Street
- Include text or diagrams to explain how the project deals with the various site constraints. Demonstrate with the use of elevations or 3D renderings how the 3 design elements form a recognizable family.
Sheets 3, 4, 5
- Page title: “Design Proposal for Zone 1/2, 3, or 4”
- Competition title: “Decelles Shared Street – Vanier College Student Design Competition 2018”
- Your design proposal title
- Sufficient plans, elevations, and sections of a consistent scale to fully describe your design for each zone
- Details and text to describe any special construction features.
- If possible, a list of materials and an estimate.
QUESTIONS?
Any questions regarding the competition should be directed to Richard Klopp at ideas.studio.vanier@gmail.com by your designated team leader/spokesperson. Please include “DSS” in the subject line.
Reference Documents
The following documents should be carefully studied before beginning your design proposal:
- Borough of Saint-Laurent (2017) Decelles Shared Street Proposal – APPENDIX A
- D.E.A.S. Studio (2017) PRR Student Project Construction Documents – APPENDIX B
- Ville de Montréal (2016) Programme d’implantation de rues piétonnes et partagées
http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/TRANSPORTS_FR/MEDIA/DOCUMENTS/PROGRAMME_RUES_PIETONNES_2017.PDF
USEFUL LINKS
- Live Projects Network (international database of student projects, including two from Montreal)
http://liveprojectsnetwork.org/
- Jardins de Métis (for ideas… conceptual installations for a contemporary garden festival) http://www.refordgardens.com/english/festival/edition.php
- Le SPOT (for inspiration… how students can organize and create a summer event space)
Project Partners and Collaborators
IDEAS Studio would like to thank the Borough of Saint-Laurent, Vanier College and Vanier COOP for their financial support of this project and the growing list of collaborators, including:
- Stéphanie Auger, Agente de liaison, Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent
- Jacinthe Côté, Urbaniste, et Catherine Caya, Architecte de paysage, Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent
- Andrée Tremblay, Chef de division, Culture and Bibliothèques, Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent
- Michael Sendbuehler, Faculty Dean, Science and Technology, Vanier College
- Isabelle Delisle, Faculty Dean, General Education, Vanier College
- Brendan Flynn, Manager, Services and Maintenance, Vanier College
- Christian Robichaud and Saul Aronovitch, Teachers, Architectural Technology, Vanier College
- Lisa Yachnin, Coordinator, Architectural Technology, Vanier College
- Glen Ethier, Coordinator, Music, Vanier College
- Ruby Viray and Amanda Horten, Teachers, Physical Education, Vanier College
- Andréanne Abbondanza-Bergeron, Teacher, Communication, Media and Studio Arts, Vanier College
About I.D.E.A.S. Studio
I.D.E.A.S. Studio (Integrating Design Education and Action for Sustainability) is an extracurricular initiative that offers unique service-learning, career development, and community engagement opportunities for Vanier College students. This initiative brings together several distinct interdisciplinary student projects coordinated by Richard Klopp under one umbrella.
The principal objective of I.D.E.A.S. Studio is to engage students in community outreach, multi-class collaborations and research activities during the academic sessions with the intent of developing meaningful projects of an appropriate scale that can be realised in a 3-week period during the summer. These intensive summer “boot camps” challenge students to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in their programs towards addressing specific needs in their community.
For more information about I.D.E.A.S. Studio, please contact:
Richard Klopp kloppr@vanier.college 514-744-7500 ext. 7239