Anchored in the collective memory and daily life of the people of Pointe Saint-Charles, the former barracks’ protective and community image is well established, reminiscent of Éva Circé-Côté’s “palace of books”. This utilitarian building has evolved to offer the opportunity of an inclusive and fully accessible cultural space.
Our approach focuses primarily on preserving the park’s natural environment and greenery, and restoring the outer shell of the barracks. An openwork installation on the firefighters’ drying tower signals the cultural renewal.
This project takes up the challenge of bringing the exterior public space into its interior, making it welcoming and conducive to social exchange. A place of passage becomes an agora.
On the first floor of the library, the adult floor unfolds like a cultural performance space, with its timber structure and metal “curtain”. A curtain wall that is both scenic and technical. It rests lightly on the stage, a solid edifice base with an embossed slab clad in a masonry colonnade.
This library base protects the children on whom society is built and developed. This exercise in library renewal is a fundamental human and material project. Pointe St-Charles already has a thriving community; we need to take care of it.
