“I congratulate the four finalists in this first stage of the design competition for the redevelopment of Rue Smith,” said Richard Deschamps, Ville de Montréal Executive Committee Vice-President responsible for Economic Development and Major Projects. “Their talents will contribute to the creation of an exceptional site providing Montrealers with new, high-quality public spaces, and to the repurposing of this district, currently undergoing a renewal boom.”

Added Helen Fotopulos, Executive Committee Member responsible for Culture, Heritage, Design and the Status of Women: “In opting for a design competition, Montréal, in its capacity as a UNESCO City of Design, seeks to encourage participation by professional practitioners in the future of the city and to foster development of innovative, creative approaches to the renewal of the Smith Promenade.”

Composition of the jury
The jury tasked with choosing the finalist proposals included a representative of Griffintown residents as well as professionals in architecture and design:
• Georges Adamczyk, jury Chair, full professor, School of Architecture, Université de Montréal;
• Georges Baird, architect, urban designer, professor at John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto;
• Eric Bunge, architect, n-architecture, New York;
• Dominique Côté, landscape architect, representing Sud-Ouest Borough;
• Wade Eide, architect, AADU, representing the Direction du développement économique et urbain, Ville de Montréal;
• Bernard Girard, citizen, representing Griffintown residents;
• Peter Soland, architect, landscape architect, urban designer, Urban Soland.

Next step
In Stage 2 of the competition, the finalist firms will complete their project teams and refine their proposals. In March 2012, citizens will be invited to a public presentation of the teams’ final proposals, and the jury will announce the winning firm in April.

“It is essential that we map out a coherent vision of Griffintown’s redevelopment, and one way to achieve this is by building vibrant public spaces on a human scale,” explained Benoit Dorais, Mayor of Sud-Ouest Borough. “I salute the finalists, who through their creativity will make a major contribution to the revitalization of this unstructured area, ahead of the detailed planning exercise on Griffintown to be carried out by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal.”

About the Smith Promenade Urban Design Competition
The area targeted by this cross-Canada competition encompasses the length of Rue Smith, running from the railway arches at Rue Ann to the Lachine Canal, and including Gallery Square.

The Smith Promenade Urban Design Competition is part of the larger project to revitalize Griffintown’s public areas. That project aims to address the deficit of public spaces in an area in the midst of renewal, ensure the comfort and safety of pedestrians, and breathe new life into a neighbourhood of great significance both from a built heritage and a city planning standpoint.

Source: Martine Painchaud
Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee
514 872-9998