Gaetan-Laberge Housing for elderly – Montreal
“Spontaneously, several places came to mind, not far from twenty. The two examples I have chosen to briefly describe are interiors that I know well. The first example is a project by an architect whose work always touches me deeply, Dan Hanganu, the second by a team whose projects generally leave me, at best, indifferent, CannonDesign and NEUF. In both cases, the relationship to the exterior plays a key role in the experience.
I regularly go to eat at the HEC cafeteria, which is located right next to the Faculty, and each time I am happy to be there, alone or with others, especially because this space is spacious, bright and very open to the outside, both on the side of the wooded area, the interior of which is separated by an undulating glass wall, and on the side of the Faculty, where potted trees create a continuity with the outside. I appreciate the fact that it is possible to perceive what is happening on the upper floors and sometimes in the adjoining auditorium. However, I hate the sudden changes in light intensity generated by the large digital screen that was installed there a few years ago. I would add that this place is much less pleasant when there are activities going on and access to the whole space is restricted.
For a long period of time, I visited a person hospitalized at the CHUM almost every day. At that time, all the construction work on the first floor was not finished and the route from the entrance to the floors remains hazy in my memory. However, I have fond memories of the generous and quite frankly magnificent views of the city and the river from the rooms, common areas and the ends of the corridors (all very bright spaces). In addition, the rooms were private and large enough for two or three visitors to be comfortable. Then, clearly, someone had spent time designing the wall coloring and knew how to do it well.
A few days ago, I walked around this building that I didn’t know, a residence for elderly people designed by Saia Barbarese Topouzanov. I was touched by the cheerfulness of the facade and the effort made to make the outside space (on the edge of an inhospitable boulevard) make you want to move in. It may not be the most meaningful or moving place I’ve seen in Canada, but it is.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2023, p.16)
Copyright: Anne Cormier
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