Program

Programming

At the base of the proposed program are two metro stations that extend the existing orange line from Henri Bourassa into Laval. The first station will be located near the intersection of Boul. Cartier and Boul. Laurentien. The second station will be on Boul. Notre Dame, near CEGEP Montmorency. The span between the two stations, as well as that between Metro Cartier and Metro Henri-Bourassa will also be considered as programmable space.

The program will have the essential functional requirements of a typical Montreal metro station but an urban plaza (possibly a market) will enhance the experience of the traveller along his/her journey. The intervention of the plaza will be treated as a pause in the rhythmic procession that one typically endures while riding the metro. As the typical program for metro stations in Montreal is already established and, for the most part, their function is satisfactory, I will only propose qualitative alternatives as my focus is on how our bodies relate to the architectural space.

The treatment of the public space that extends from Henri Bourassa to CEGEP Montmorency will be treated as one continuos system. The fluidity from each space to the next will be sensed throughout the system. Each of the two pauses (stations) will be unique in that the general form and proportion of their volumes will be determined directly in accordance to the forces and pressure of the immediate cultural context (economic, social, physical factors).

In an ideal scenario, when we move through space enveloped by built form, the surfaces in fact speak to us and respond to our inhibitions. Beyond this, I must enter into the realm of reprogramming.

Re-programming

As I am interested in the way surfaces communicate with us, materiality will be a significant issue. I will explore the potential for the treatment of the surfaces to assist in orienting and guiding the commuter, but at the same time heighten their experience and perhaps suggest a narrative in a very subtle sense. Language is one means of communicating that extends experience in time and space, built form is another. And quite often we find the two are used together to provide orientation in an urban space. Language in itself is effected and in effect of the ambiguous realm, so naturally, it is not always sufficient for communication. In keeping with this notion, built form often relies on signage to guide us in our decisions.

Potentially, our reliance on signage can be reduced or the way in which it communicates with us could be different. In Nature of Thesis I discuss the notion, 'what we attempt to communicate is often misinterpreted or the entire significance is lost'. In this vain, I'll go as far as to offer that, in the choice of words and symbols in signage, we can communicate something more significant, on a different level of consciousness.

Thoughts and issues to be explored

What provokes someone to jump in front of a moving metro train?

In the current metro lines we are always familiar of our point of departure and arrival, but to what extent are we conscious of the space between them? Ultimately, why is this space valued less?

To what extent are the fixed points of reference (stations) capable of orienting us?

To what extend can a sense of rhythm and an awareness of discreet pauses along the procession of the tunnel add to the quality of the time/space experience?

How can mystery and/or shock add to the quality of the voyage?

Could a heightened awareness of the cultural, economic, and social forces in a region be attained by built form enclosing spaces? And what impact could this built form have on the judgement, and value choices of the citizens (re. consumerism, industrialism)?

Extension from Henri-Bourassa to Cartier

Travelers that have already endured the monotony of 11 stations that stretch the orange line from Centre Ville to Henri-Bourassa station and will continue north on the line are likely experiencing anxiety or at least anticipation. The stations themselves offer a pause, but within the tunnel there are few sources of inspiration. Furthermore there is no appreciation of the environment through which the train is passing.

The points of deceleration and acceleration are integral in that this change in speed is identifying to the traveler that they are arriving or departing. Although some times more significantly than others, everyone has an emotional experience at these moments; whether it be meeting or leaving a loved one, arriving at a shopping centre or leaving work for the day. So then 'motion' and 'emotion' are co-implicated in one another. Ones experience of the program should perhaps respond to this.

The proportions of the tunnel will vary according to the changing rate of acceleration or deceleration. The transition from where the train departs from Henri-Bourassa into the tunnel should be gradual allowing one enough time to attain full satisfaction of their emotional experience. The lighting within the tunnel should create a rhythmic pattern that also varies relative to the movement away from the station. Perhaps the lighting should be more intimate at the mouth of the tunnel and more vibrant during the interval of peak speed, and the color of the light can aid in providing a sympathetic gesture to allow for a smooth transition between emotional states. The texture of the surfaces in the tunnel will also aid in increasing ones confidence in regards to their inhibitions effectively. The layers that form the shell of the mouth should materialize gradually in opacity and detail so that stability is assured gradually and concentration might be refocused if desired. A variation in the materiality could also evoke an awareness of place, and an orientation; by using layers (translucent juxtaposed with opaque textured) one might appreciate the the moments spent beneath La Riviere des Prairies. The intended experience of this tunnel will be accomplished only by subtle shifts in the treatment of the program.

Cartier Station

The depth of the tunnel from Henri-Bourassa will decrease slightly as it approaches Cartier. The train will gesture upwards as the suspense builds. And the mystery will be unveiled as the train emerges from the underworld and into daylight. The terraces of the landscaped valley and all its virtuosity will unfold as the train passes through the threshold and into this new destination.

The park in which Cartier Station is situated will transform as the train penetrates its surface. The now flat landscape will be carved in such a way that the surrounding activity will have an affinity towards it. The vast openess will fold over itself to create a distinct pocket in which an urban centre will be defined above the surface. A tunnel will be bored providing a coherent connection with the municipal services opposite the station on boulevard des Laurentides. The departure/arrival platforms will be buffered by low walls that distinguish the flow of transit from the civic activity within the valley surrounding the train from each side and from above. The standard program of the Metro Station will extend into this new urban space. This new space will be comprised of large and small discrete pockets that welcome social activity. The venues of these spaces will be diverse and dependent on the creativity of the occupants. In this the built form that is grafted into the sides of the valley will be neutral; acting as a backdrop for the people of Laval.

Naturally, there will be music filling the extended area of the metro line. Inherent in the composition of the built form will be niches, pockets and platforms that celebrate or intimate the musical venues. The carryover of this activity will perhaps influence how the people use the urban plaza, as the sound will resonate through the labyrinth of surfaces. Every day the activity will vary, and the monotony of suburbia will be understood as part of a process as is this new intervention.

Extension from Cartier to Montmorency

The students of Montmorency traveling by Cartier station have to get to school eventually. So there must be some foreshadowing of liveliness at the next stop. The span of the tunnel that connects these two stations is crucial in that it must sustain the energy and at the same time transform it as the nature of Montmorency is different from that of Cartier. The urban plaza was appropriated to Cartier for this particular reason. Montmorency is already somewhat of an urban centre in that it is close to the vibrant commercial activity of Centre Laval and also there is a concentration of institional activity in the vacinity.

Once again proportional adjustments to the build form of the tunnel, treatment of lighting and juxtaposition of textures will set parameters in which a new level of consciousness can be attained and the nature of the change in surroundings can be prepared for. Perhaps a more somber and airy feeling of the tunnel would prevent the heightened emotions from being crushed. Perhaps there is an inherent opportunity for this airiness in the necessity of the turn-around for the train at Montmorency Station.

Montmorency Station

In the proposed station there is a component of underground parking. This, along with the inherent potential of the train turn-around will inform the architectural space that envelopes the train. As the train enters into the station it will shift horizontally in response to the underground island that is created by the fallen section of earth that once filled the gap above (as it will appear). The train will pass by the island, and complete the turn-around after the transfer of those coming and going has been made. The island will signal this point of the process, not as a termination, but rather as a rebirth of the cycle. Much like Atlantis, the underground island will evoke a sense of reminiscence, nostalgia and mystery of what was and what may be. The light that filters in through the hole above the island will transcend ones spirit, as one will be drawn to the liveliness above. Music will resonate softly from the pods hanging high above, from the underneath of the retaining ceiling, reminiscent of Cartier and taunting one to ascend. The singularity of the ocular opening; the contrast of the light pods and the cavelike retaining structure will enchant the travelers as they ascend from and descend into the cave which is a world of its own.