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Planetarium de Montreal
Planetarium de Montreal
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Other Projects by at architects
Planetarium de Montreal
Firm
Type
SIZE
500,000 sqft - 1,000,000 sqft
BUDGET
$10M - 50M
CC2010
Concours
d’architecture
PLANÉTARIUM
DE MONTRÉAL
UNMUSÉUMNATUREMONTRÉAL
October 2008-January 2009
Team
Ana Maria Torres,
Design Principal, at architects
Charisma Panchapakesan
Mathieu Robitaille
Kfir Gluzberg
Maria Barroso
“Environmental events occur; a space lights up.
Something happens in there, for a moment, or for a time….When you are there, it
has visions, qualities and a universe of possibilities” James Turrell, 1989
This Planetarium is conceived of as a mountain,
an embodiment that invokes the restless human preoccupation with travel, navigation,
and the mapping of a vast, ageless universe. Mountains are the closest
we can get to the heavens on earth; their summits are the objects of journeys
and the embodiments of hard-won experience. In stories, a character has better
perspective from the peak of a mountain. Throughout history, mountains have
symbolized constancy, eternity, firmness and stillness. Mountain tops, notes
J.C. Cooper, "represent the state of full consciousness."
In Images and Symbols, Mircea Eliade notes that the mountain is sacred because it is both the center
of the earth and, in its overwhelming mass, an instantiation of Being. Eliade
says that the "peak of the cosmic mountain is not only the highest point
on earth; it is also the earth's navel, the point where creation had its
beginning." This mystic sense of the peak, writes Cirlot, "also comes
from the fact that it is the point of contact between heaven and earth, or the
center through which the world-axis passes."
In the case of the Planetarium,
the placement of a “Universal Dome” at the center of a mountain has a profound
significance common to almost all traditions. The Universe is buried in the
mountain itself and as a result the mountain grows in size and density,
gradually expressing multiplicity – the universe in simultaneous expansion and
involution.
The Planetarium is a model of sustainability. It is a laboratory for
astronomers, students, and the community at large. All of the building’s green
systems create educational and research opportunities.
The roof, which is covered
with native plantings, is an outdoor exhibition and educational space that
serves as an introduction to the rest of the building. It is a self-guided,
easily accessible feature that will allow even light-use visitors to gain green
building knowledge.
The roof is also the fulcrum of the building’s
sustainability program. The green roof increases air quality and addresses
Urban Heat Island Effect by cooling the ambient air. Perhaps the most important
benefit of a green roof is its ability to slow the flow of water during a storm
event. The Planetarium’s green roof reduces the
pressure on Montreal’s
combined storm water/sewer system; in heavy rainfall, this overwhelmed system
shunts raw sewage to local waterways.
This proposal also
incorporates solar power systems, an alternative energy source that is
currently underutilized. “Active” above-ground photovoltaic solar panels and solar thermal tubes will
provide renewable energy for needs that “passive” design elements and
gravity-fed water harvesting systems cannot meet.
Given that the building is
a new construction in a large open space, it will be important to explore the
possibility of using geothermal technology. A geothermal system only requires
minimal electricity; it saves on costly and polluting fossil fuels.
In addition to the environmental
benefits of these systems, they will have a strong aesthetic impact. In collaboration
with the Slovenian architect/artist Marjetica Potrč, water will become the Planetarium’s central outdoor feature. The
green roofs are subtly sloped; water trickles slowly through the growth media
and in the process, the roofs naturally filter the water. This water can be
stored for non-potable uses. The filtered water becomes a waterfall that splashes
down into a reflecting pool.
Light will become the central indoor feature. Strategically-placed windows provide natural
light and cross-ventilate the galleries and classrooms. Rooms are filled with
beautiful light and fresh air, and the entire building becomes a healthier
space for working and learning.
We have always gazed at the universe, at the
moon and stars, with awe and wonder. The architecture of this proposal has both
the visceral impact of its geological form and the mathematical grace of its
internal sphere; it hearkens back to thousands of years of precise observation
of the heavens. The Planetarium
becomes a journey for visitors, a place to reconnect with the legacy of past civilizations.
It becomes an opportunity to reinvent a relationship with an environment that
has long inspired investigation and enchantment.
Concours
d’architecture
PLANÉTARIUM
DE MONTRÉAL
UNMUSÉUMNATUREMONTRÉAL
October 2008-January 2009
Team
Ana Maria Torres,
Design Principal, at architects
Charisma Panchapakesan
Mathieu Robitaille
Kfir Gluzberg
Maria Barroso
“Environmental events occur; a space lights up.
Something happens in there, for a moment, or for a time….When you are there, it
has visions, qualities and a universe of possibilities” James Turrell, 1989
This Planetarium is conceived of as a mountain,
an embodiment that invokes the restless human preoccupation with travel, navigation,
and the mapping of a vast, ageless universe. Mountains are the closest
we can get to the heavens on earth; their summits are the objects of journeys
and the embodiments of hard-won experience. In stories, a character has better
perspective from the peak of a mountain. Throughout history, mountains have
symbolized constancy, eternity, firmness and stillness. Mountain tops, notes
J.C. Cooper, "represent the state of full consciousness."
In Images and Symbols, Mircea Eliade notes that the mountain is sacred because it is both the center
of the earth and, in its overwhelming mass, an instantiation of Being. Eliade
says that the "peak of the cosmic mountain is not only the highest point
on earth; it is also the earth's navel, the point where creation had its
beginning." This mystic sense of the peak, writes Cirlot, "also comes
from the fact that it is the point of contact between heaven and earth, or the
center through which the world-axis passes."
In the case of the Planetarium,
the placement of a “Universal Dome” at the center of a mountain has a profound
significance common to almost all traditions. The Universe is buried in the
mountain itself and as a result the mountain grows in size and density,
gradually expressing multiplicity – the universe in simultaneous expansion and
involution.
The Planetarium is a model of sustainability. It is a laboratory for
astronomers, students, and the community at large. All of the building’s green
systems create educational and research opportunities.
The roof, which is covered
with native plantings, is an outdoor exhibition and educational space that
serves as an introduction to the rest of the building. It is a self-guided,
easily accessible feature that will allow even light-use visitors to gain green
building knowledge.
The roof is also the fulcrum of the building’s
sustainability program. The green roof increases air quality and addresses
Urban Heat Island Effect by cooling the ambient air. Perhaps the most important
benefit of a green roof is its ability to slow the flow of water during a storm
event. The Planetarium’s green roof reduces the
pressure on Montreal’s
combined storm water/sewer system; in heavy rainfall, this overwhelmed system
shunts raw sewage to local waterways.
This proposal also
incorporates solar power systems, an alternative energy source that is
currently underutilized. “Active” above-ground photovoltaic solar panels and solar thermal tubes will
provide renewable energy for needs that “passive” design elements and
gravity-fed water harvesting systems cannot meet.
Given that the building is
a new construction in a large open space, it will be important to explore the
possibility of using geothermal technology. A geothermal system only requires
minimal electricity; it saves on costly and polluting fossil fuels.
In addition to the environmental
benefits of these systems, they will have a strong aesthetic impact. In collaboration
with the Slovenian architect/artist Marjetica Potrč, water will become the Planetarium’s central outdoor feature. The
green roofs are subtly sloped; water trickles slowly through the growth media
and in the process, the roofs naturally filter the water. This water can be
stored for non-potable uses. The filtered water becomes a waterfall that splashes
down into a reflecting pool.
Light will become the central indoor feature. Strategically-placed windows provide natural
light and cross-ventilate the galleries and classrooms. Rooms are filled with
beautiful light and fresh air, and the entire building becomes a healthier
space for working and learning.
We have always gazed at the universe, at the
moon and stars, with awe and wonder. The architecture of this proposal has both
the visceral impact of its geological form and the mathematical grace of its
internal sphere; it hearkens back to thousands of years of precise observation
of the heavens. The Planetarium
becomes a journey for visitors, a place to reconnect with the legacy of past civilizations.
It becomes an opportunity to reinvent a relationship with an environment that
has long inspired investigation and enchantment.
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