The Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) has unveiled the list of finalists for its 2023 public prize. The Science Complex on the MIL campus of the University of Montreal is among the 21 projects selected. The winner will be announced at the OAQ’s annual gala on April 21, on the sidelines of the presentation of the Awards for Excellence in Architecture.
Inaugurated in 2019, the Science Complex totals nearly 60,000 m² and houses UdeM’s chemistry, physics, geography and biological sciences departments. Located on the site of the former Outremont marshalling yard, the two buildings that compose it are apparently distinct, but a library arranged along landscaped courtyards connects them and is revealed in multiple levels under the Blue promenade, which evokes the metro line under the project.
Combining the Science and Education poles, the Complex aims to train, retain and attract the best researchers in the scientific community. The jury for the 2023 Awards of Excellence in Architecture, chaired by architect and urban planner Renée Daoust, underlined its importance for the Outremont and Parc-Extension districts by qualifying it as “the centerpiece of the rehabilitation of the former marshalling yard d’Outremont, weaving fluid links between two neighborhoods hitherto compartmentalised”.
The population is invited to vote for their favorite project by March 30 at https://www.oaq.com/ordre/prix/prix-dexcellence-en-architecture/prix2023-vote/.
