arch.304; winter 2008: peel basin revisited phase 1: masterplan The Peel basin has been shaped, throughout its history, by the canal, the rail tracks, the highway; it was never intended for pedestrian traffic. My first intent was to make the site less alienating for pedestrians, and the first step to do that was to remove the highway. The tunnel was not an option for me; hiding traffic underneath the city does not solve anything. The traffic is instead redirected through two one-way boulevards; safer for bikers and pedestrians, lower maintenance and easier on the urban fabric.
The urban front is developed parallel to the streets with thin residential complexes; while the urban fabric is developed with perpendicular gestures, with deeper buildings; commercial, industrial or institutional. This way there is some control of the urban fabric but it doesn’t inhibit the natural development of the city. The grid is oriented roughly north-south to optimize the amount of sunlight that reaches the earth, and there is a porosity in the massing to try and maintain the quality of the air.
phase 2: building design The units are built in concrete and follow a simple geometry, similar in intent to the grain elevator silos. To keep their geometry unbroken, a system of metal stairs, corridors and balconies is built around them. This system also allows every unit to span the whole width of the building; this permits cross ventilation and excellent sun exposure. A sense of verticality is achieved by the way the units are arranged within the building. It is a six story building, but it is treated as two three story building on top of one another. Elevators take the occupants up to the 4th level, from which stairs are used to get to the 5th and 6th floor. The use of stairs is encouraged, but no-one has to go up more than 2 flights of stairs. Two masonry facades, on the east and west elevations, are used to enclose the skeletal service system (stairs, elevators, balconies, pipes, vents, etc.) into a ‘buffer zone’ between the concrete unit core and the masonry facades.
A metal structure, independent from the concrete core, keeps both the facades and the service system thermally broken from the core. Combined with the buffer zone, this results in great energy savings at the level of thermal comfort. The geometry of the facades is inspired by the masonry facades of old Montreal, with strong vertical gestures and simple windows. It has about 40% glazing, which is the optimal proportion for our climate. The entrances to the building are quite subtle. I did not want them to break the rhythm of the facades.
phase 3: unit design
All the services are concentrated into a service core, to allow the rest of the unit to keep its strong geometry. This core is build around the washroom, and the walls contain closets, storage space, kitchen counter and all the necessary electrical and plumbing. It is translucent, to allow light to pierce in and through the washroom, but the thickness of the double wall creates enough privacy inside.
Traian Dima traiandima.thrice-blessed.com traian.dima@mail.mcgill.ca
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