Montréal, (Quebec) September 9, 2011 – Gérald Tremblay, Mayor of Montréal, the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, and Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, are pleased to announce the four finalists of the architectural competition for the construction of a soccer complex in the heart of the Complexe environnemental de Saint-Michel (CESM) sports park.
"Montréal, a UNESCO City of Design, has once again distinguished itself by calling on the imagination and talent of Quebec's architects to design a building that will be a harmonious and innovative addition to the CESM. This exceptional site will allow all Montrealers, particularly the young members of our community, to play soccer in an environment that promotes the very best practices in sustainable development. I hope this competition is able to bring innovative architectural options for this sports facility," said Mayor Tremblay.
"The Government of Canada salutes the announcement of this competition's four finalists, whose selection brings us one step closer to seeing this major project become a reality," stated Minister Lebel.
"I congratulate the finalists of this first round of the architectural competition for the design of the future soccer complex in Montréal. Ensuring Quebec is equipped with modern infrastructure is a priority for our government in order to encourage all citizens to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. By investing in facilities that are well-adapted to our reality and promote sustainable development, our government is fulfilling its commitment to endow the province's municipalities with quality infrastructure that will allow them to better face the challenges of the future," added Minister Lessard.
Thirty compliant applications were received in response to this first blind phase of the competition. On August 15 and 16, the selection committee met to review the projects and unanimously agreed on the following four finalists (in alphabetical order):
- Affleck, De la Riva / Cannon Design;
- Côté Leahy Cardas Architectes;
- Éric Pelletier Architectes;
- Saucier + Perrotte / Hughes Condon Marler Architectes.
"The outcome of this first phase of the competition is extremely encouraging and offers a variety of high-quality architectural solutions. The finalists were selected on the basis of the very diverse options they were proposing, both in terms of the building itself and of its integration into the CESM park," explained selection committee chair Isabel Hérault.
For the second stage of the process, the finalists must now fine-tune their concepts on the basis of the jury's comments and complete their project teams in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the competition. The selection committee will meet again in November 2011 to select the winning project, after which citizens will be invited to a public presentation of the competition finalists.
From its future location on Papineau Avenue, the new centre will offer Montréal's approximately 40,000 soccer players the opportunity to practice their sport year round. Preparation work on the site is expected to get under way in fall 2012.
Funded through the Building Canada Fund—Quebec (BCF-Q), the project's $19M in eligible costs will be shared equally by the Government of Canada, Government of Quebec and City of Montréal in the amount of $6.3M each, for a combined total of $12.7M in government funding through the BCF-Q. The City of Montréal has increased its contribution to $15.6M to allow for, among other things, the construction of a fourth mini-soccer field, bringing the total investment for this new soccer complex to $28.3M.
In accordance with the City of Montréal's Sustainable Development Plan 2010‑2015, the new environmentally-responsible building will seek to obtain LEED Gold certification. The project will be carried out through an integrated design process, a creative approach allowing for the construction of new buildings that meet specific quality, design, energy savings and efficiency objectives.
Building Montréal UNESCO City of Design is an initiative of the City of Montréal's Bureau de design and the UNESCO Chair in Landscape and Environmental Design at the Université de Montréal. This $1.2M initiative is jointly funded by the Quebec Department of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, the Department of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal and the City of Montréal.
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Sources:
Darren Becker, Press Secretary
Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee
Tel.: 514-872-6412
Julie Boivin, Public Relations Officer
Press Secretary to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy
Tel.: 418-691-2050
Benoît Fortin
Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-923-9209
E-mail: benoit.fortin@tc.gc.ca
Information:
Isabelle Poulin, Public Relations Officer
Public Affairs Division
Tel.: 514-872-4641
