Montreal, Qc
Architectural Competition- unbuilt
In collaboration with
Atelier Big City, F G M,
ARCOP, Associés Libres & RAM
Construction cost:
estimated at $58 000 000
structural engineer: Jan Vrana
mechanical engineer: Martin Roy & ass.

The new Science Pavilion was conceived to be in a harmonious and sustainable relationship with its immediate environnement. The quadrangle is the symbolic spatial and organizing device of the campus, both specific to the inception of Loyola College and sharing a tradition with academic institutions throughout the western world.

The section has been carefully crafted to draw in daylight and provide natural ventilation. The straight-forward simplicity of the internal planning and a clarity of circulation and organization resulted from an exhaustive and intensive design process. Interior and exterior circulation patterns are interwoven through the new Science Pavilion to link the diverse campus and its services. The design provides a maximum of flexibility and adaptability for evolving needs.

The architectural expression is intentionally not easily dated, as it is derived from a strict reading of program and building requirements. The form serves as a metaphorical representation of an authentic identity for the new Science Pavilion.

What emerges from the green building debate is not if a building should be green, but how to be green in a meaningful way. The new Science Pavilion figuratively and literally taps into the existing energy potential found on-site : the earth’s relatively constant temperature and the sun’s free energy are celebrated in plan, section and elevation. The bamboo Garden – a Green Machine – filters, humidifies and oxygenates fresh air as it is drawn into the building, particularly in winter. The plan and section are conceived to draw optimum benefit from the natural displacement of air through the building. What drives the ecological design philosophy for the Science Pavilion is the transparent integration of low-technology natural phenomena with a sophisticated degree of user control.