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above: the urban appendage (top) attached tenuously to the original site in question (bottom).
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URBAN APPENDAGE Connected obliquely to the first site is an appendage of land that shares the interstitial and peripheral characteristics of the former, but which possesses additional distinguishing features. The odd geometry imposed by the Bonaventure onto the premises has shaped a tenuous but alluring link around the corner of the Discreet building between the two areas. This additional land in question faces to the south rue de la Commune, which is adjacent to the Lachine canal. It sits quietly between a municipal garage to the west (which may be relocated by the City in the future) and the side of Discreet to the east. The elevated Autoroute actually provides shelter to the northwest. Its location eludes immediate view, making it a peaceful urban retreat. (Indeed, this is where Luke and his friends set up their volleyball net in the summer months.) |
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"Behind
the cycle of the hours and the outstanding features of the landscape,
what we find are words of the liturgy, of ancient ritual¹, in contrast
to the song and chatter¹ of the workshop; and the words, too, of all
who speak the same language, and thus recognize that they belong to
the same world. Place is completed through the word, through the allusive
exchange of a few passwords" (Augé, p.77)
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PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ON PROGRAMME: An historical tidbit on baths: Public baths in Montreal, being a product of the industrial era, served essential and functional purposes of attacking the grime of days spent in industry. By the early 1900s, 75% of homes in the district of the fauberg were still unequipped with private bathing facilities. Public-works campaigns were undertaken in times of economic success, and building a public bath was a sign of prosperity. Montreal is unique in its public bath status; with eighteen baths at the height of its bath culture, it contained the highest number for any city in North America. The reason for Montreal¹s particularity is not entirely apparent, although its history as one of North America¹s oldest cities, its burgeoning port industry, and its cultural roots embedded in European tradition are doubtless contributing factors. What role could the public bath fulfil today? (Could Luke find his détente here? to be resolved in the proposal…) |
