Square Dorchester Nord
Square Dorchester Nord
Montréal (Québec), Canada

Reappropriation and design of the truncated northern fringe of Dorchester Square

The northern edge of historic Dorchester Square had been cut off in the mid-1900s by the construction of an underground parking garage and the widening of a street. These actions are playfully incorporated into the design for a classic Victorian fountain positioned on the line of this bifurcation. From the park side of this divide, the elevation of the fountain is revealed as a timeless water feature typical of Montreal’s mid-nineteenth century ‘belle-époque’ period. From the street side, the fountain is sliced to manifest the cut line to be visible as a two-dimensional silhouette cut-out. The relationship between these two elevations presents a curious tension that embodies an evolving history of civic values while pragmatically maintaining their function and spirit. Similarly, the original diagonal Victorian pathways radiating from the centre of Dorchester Square had been sliced by two car ramps descending to the underground parking garage. Two arched pedestrian bridges restore these axes without interrupting traffic flows, effectively positioning the park thresholds closer to rue St-Catherine to plug into large volumes of pedestrians that circulate on this emblematic commercial street.

Client
Ville de Montréal

Collaboration
François Ménard/Fountain Engineer, Aedifica, Gilles Arpin/Lighting, Les Services exp inc.

Area
4035 m2 (1 acre)

Awards

2020 
National Award, Small-Scale Landscapes category – CSLA Awards of Excellence
Grand prix architecture de paysage de projet public – Grands Prix du Design

2019
Gold award – Pool and Hot Tub Council of Canada – Construction and Design Awards – Public or Multi-Family Stand-Alone Water Features or Fire Features category (awarded to Soucy Aquatik)

 

Year
2015-2019

Status
Built

Categories
Heritage
Park
Photo, 2019 - JF Savaria
Photo, 2019 - Jean Blais
Photo, 2019 - Claude Cormier et Associés
Photo, 2019 - Raphaël Thibodeau
Photo, 2019 - Jean Blais
Photo, 2019 - JF Savaria
Photo, 2019 - JF Savaria
Photo, 2019 - Claude Cormier et Associés
Photo, 2019 - Claude Cormier et Associés
Photo, 2019 - Claude Cormier et Associés
Photo, 2019 - Jean Blais
Photo, 2019 - Jean Blais
Photo, 2019 - Raphaël Thibodeau
Photo, 2019 - Raphaël Thibodeau
Photo, 2019 - Raphaël Thibodeau
Photo, 2019 - Claude Cormier et Associés
Photo, 2019 - JF Savaria
Photo, 2019 - JF Savaria
Illustration - Cyril Doisneau
Historic Plan, 1907 - Pinsonneault Atlas
Topographic Plan from 1960 Superimposed Over 1907 Plan - Unknown Source and Pinsonneault Atlas
Contextual Argument, Études et Formes Paysagères - J. CHA
Contextual Argument, Études et Formes Paysagères - J. CHA
Plan of Existing Conditions Superimposed Over 1907 Plan and 1960 Topographic Plan - Claude Cormier et Associés, Unknown Source and Pinsonneault Atlas
Plan, Proposed Masterplan for the Northern Edge - Claude Cormier et Associés
Plan, Proposed Masterplan for the Northern Edge - Claude Cormier et Associés
Plan, Proposed Masterplan for the Northern Edge With the Outlines of the Underground Parking and Existing Columns - Claude Cormier et Associés
Longitudinal Section - Claude Cormier et Associés
Cross Section - Claude Cormier et Associés
Rendering - Claude Cormier et Associés
Rendering - Claude Cormier et Associés
Rendering - Claude Cormier et Associés
Conceptual Precedent - Claude Cormier et Associés
Rendering - Claude Cormier et Associés