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design according 10 Siegfried Gidieon I~iilimizes collective and or anonymous ourhorship, or Ihl; sequential: approprialion of idea. by a series 01 individuals who impel! an ideo "In the oirH towards. reoliz.olion. An opprooch lhol initially consider~ tne 6ty 050 material "'gi"len,'" and lakeslhe exomples BUlly as synthetic entities of programme, lcccticn, [orm and materiol,os products 01 secicl use, and in later instances os results of individual erection, will be Ihc.: sullied of study ..

Thi~ discoss'ion of cond!l,ions of smaller !>Cal'e architecture in Montrool concentrotes on buill form found along Boulffvard SainI Laurenl and in the pfateau ManJ Royal, presentl.)' a zone of 'cultural production in the city, This lex! is. pari of 0' larger proiect tIlo.1 cul.ls examples having on imparl for contemporary huilding and worksthem inro a pragmatic methodology, Following this lineof inquiry, on ideol version would try 10 approach the rig,aur 0'[ Boudcn' s Sysleme de J'archilechJre vrbaine, incorporating ~j!l€ scaled inlerven" lions by corrent proc:Jitionen os well os examples from the urban orchiteclurul vernacular of the dly. The aim is thu's no! exclusively lor documentafion purposes, although "miner" a rehileclure does need recording si nee H Is most olten subjecllo renovolionor demoh" lion. There is a need 10 further traditionsesloblished by the work Q·f Jocobs, Bonhom, Baird, el alia, that promise on eventual resolution ofrhe apparent conAict belWeen modern architecture and dense, inlrleote urbon spatial conditions ohity lif·e.

An architecture thot relctes 10 its surroundings will do som i,ls specilicollyorchiteetural expression, by means of scale, occupation of ~le site, range of spaces, mass'ing and forma! devi.ccfls,. progJammatic content. Wh'eno vernacular building Iype is repeotedon more or less standardized lot5 in the Sirid of blocks, becoming tho very stuff of a city,as

is !heco~efor the Montreal triplex. eech time the 5'el 01 types oppeers as a distinct manifestation 01 its own. pco.rli.cu!arities al realization, and: of the economy required for il 10 be buill. The lean'ne$~ of Ihe process" a key issue in modern architecture, is legible or. '0 proto-functional, expressionism. II is this kind 01 aesthetic Ihrift Ihol Le Corbusier admired in the ardinaryarchile<:.lvre ·of Peris, and transloted in his ~e .. ies of Parisian na<JSEls, beginning with (he ,alelier for Ozenfonl in li 923. te Corhusier' 5 reliance on drawing, dooumenlatingl and referendng l'ocal vemccelors+cs in the anecdote about the mode~1 cofe where he and Jeannerel ale lunch and whose mezzonine sparked oij their own spatial praposilionr-&IOnds as 0 practical promise to reconcile modern ·architecture and .the metropolis (FJ'glJre l].

Architectural production has been seen recently backiog inloa ~conlexll,:lol" impasse by cooting on ils surface diagroms of unrelated porportedly hi stor,i call referencingl. So· caMed "contextual" styling can be seencs the container·;like ~focade" and unre:la!cd interior sequence of SPOCC\ repudiated inthe early phose ot heroic modernism. Of greater 'significance to urban form heve been Ihe more fundamenlal changes in scale of urban built form in the last 15 years, ;involving massingi and ~ur:face area" The eighties' crop of office complexesere of a vastly 'larger sccle than any but the lorgest prelwenHelhcentury construction. Peter Dickinson's elBe tower of 1'962, wj~h its slim, well-lit ROOT plate, rather than spawning imitators, is classed by corporote leasing standards as obsole!ic€lI'Il ~r its "inefficienf core/perimeter rofio. Whether the 'Ierm contexlucllsm will ever be rehabilitated from ils associations with postiche, gentrification and munkipal bureaucracy is open 10 debate. The soperficiol "contexiuol" arguments mosked urban complkations 01 the I'eyel of political 'economy resulting from unquestioned dineseurscaled development. The importance d recognizing and maintaining, and crea.ting finely gra.ined orchitectureon $malllol$ mus] be insisted on lor ils intrinsic value 05 low cost h.olJsing slock and cs o microc·te:xrure lor everyda.y life.

HMioor" architecture hcs been on object of study, particularly in Italy, through Ihis ,century. During Ihe Ible 5ixlies ondsevenfies counterculturoi reshtance, pu~hed. by the bollering rom of urban renewal., crealed alliances 10 defend existing urbcn neighbour· hoods. These movements were slrongi i;n Canadian and northoo11 American cities, The now cklSSk example is Jane Jacobs conlesl,ingthe po.lemalistic impo$ilion of planning solutions upon citizens and l.eadingthe strugg,I'e 10 prevenl t'he "lomex'" highway from. c'hopping througb So'ho. Her pesiiien on the inherent value of the ,existing dty became a rallying gfoundforgfoss roots movements orgoni,zed ito!ilave ·off further deslruc:lion ;n

1. La 'CorOusiar on'd 'Pi'ert'll J!!O.I1MlNlI, Ozenion'l HO!l~e,. 1923.

the nome of urban development, The bottle between ociivists and redevelopment interests propelled the narrative for Deny$ Arcand's 1972 film, Ritjeonne Podovoni, Set in Montrllal, Reieanne Podovani drornolized the corrupt entenle between building conlroctors cnd municipal end provincial politicians over public works. Its closing scene was on expresswov view, a lengthy, silent pon 01 block after block of urban working closs dweUing~ that hod been sliced through to provide superhighways from the suburbs to the downtown office tower~. Urban cooperative housing such as Milton Park resulted from such militonl action of the seventies, However populor protest has been ineHedive in recent conRicts such 05 Overdcle.

Economic growth having waned, the problem of Ihe present ho s less to do With reorgarde, delensive action whose worst consequences freeze and distort the exi~ting city ond block innovative proposols. The gentrification of Vieux MonlteoJ i~ a coso in point: il has been preserved but is on inaccessible high income enclave. The value of the pre' served urban lorm is rriviolized by the monotonous, toorisrn-Iocused, day and night-life programmed into the buildings. There is a need lor proposals thot incorporote "minor" architecture in on urban vocobulory in 0 woy thot wililegitimi2e scales of development that accomodote the full range 01 quotidian cctivity. Aher a brief survey 01 work that constitutes a fundamental body 01 reference for this present paper, initial inventories 01 examples 01 urban conditions in Monlreol dernonstro!e some ventures Ihol appear 10 work in a positive direction

;

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reseorcb precedents

Andre Chostels preface explains the exemplary rigour 01 the work of Boudon el cl., Syslame de l'orcbuecture urboina: Ie quonier des Holies ci Paris, as resulling Irom ils [ocus on street level. The study begins with the aim of "considerjinq] the whole of 0 neighbourhood from Ihe point 01 view of the use at grode.h After 0 thorough series of planimetric ooolyses, the study presents synthetic three dimensionol drawings of the divene orchitechJro that characterizes the quortier des Holies This work is one of the rno~t impressive and exhaustive In 0 vast body 01 related production oltha seventies in france, and indicative of 0 tendency thot owes much to 0 diologue with research thot preceded it in Iialy from the sixties on, including the case 01 Bologna, the inAuence of 5, MurotOfi, Carlo Aymonino ond Aldo Rossi, as well as work such as Hegemonn's study of the Berlin Mielk05arn8.

Aldo RossI's The Architeclure of the City of the mid-sixties assembles the urban architeclure positions into 0 proto-trectise, or a "sketch of 0 treatise" as he calls it. The diverse disciplinary approaches he documents make the lexl ~omething of on anthology or micro-encyclopedic roiher than a synthetic methodological monuol. As 0 position statement, the work constitutes a benchmark whose principles would pre~umably correspond to the rnossive orchitectural output Rossi has produced in recent years. Yet thi$ later work is of a different order than the early poetic imoges, small monuments like the Roofing wooden theatre, and sympothetic analyses of urban orchitecture. Formally, Ihe loter work seems less involved with the mililani politicol spirit that hod been part of its inception. Homi Bhobho's description of the radical re·thinking 01 the political bcses of Marxism in the lale 20rh centry, "Sociolisrn in both the East ond the West is having 10 come to terms with Ihe fact thol people cannot now be addre~~ os colossol. undifferentioted collectivities of closs, race, gender or notion," seems to apply as title for the commemorative monument to clcsslessness in Ihe cemetery 01 Modena.

George Boird's research, while less well diffused, hos consistently oddressed its relation to praclice. The issue of Design Ouorterly, Vocom Lottery, co-edited by Baird and Borton Myers, had a strong influence on Conodion architectural culture and i~ still relevont. The theme of longue duree investigated by French historians alter Braudel is plainly seen to be adaploble to the urban architecture studio, in the abbreviated explanatory planImetric studies ond ligure-ground sequences in a Toronto neighbourhood. Using the counter project approach Iovoured by European rnililants, research on vernacular urban tissue was integrated into the design studio, and from there it was a reasonable move to practice

the weol1ihof 'r'esearchon Monlr€Q'I re~uhs ifromlhe iJ1lense otlenllon paid to the dly bygfOUp1 ,uohas IlheChome:y/llolek/Kniglll wello 01 U"iversile de Monlrbal. Their body of wo~k, act:um.u!lolin90veJ ~n years, nos emp'hosized locQId-,"',elling sttXk, primary tno(lumelliol urbonoooes, the lJiiplex and il$. party walt vestigial in1ljlulion~ ar-d urbon iinduslri'dl com,pl'exes, 'US!!iIg dro,wiflQl fhe: ,;ity as 01 prreludeto building. Teachers Qnd proclilionen,. Mekin Cnamey, Irena lLolekomdl Alan iKoighl operate, under a (onHtlel"H:e ·of iffnvenc:e$ thai indude.s 'Rylwen, Chaoy, Veseley, Remi, Gressi, Foucoult. lhe intfe;(Jsil\g s!kiU in dfO,win.g '-'loon archiledufe dlemonSlro!ed by Ihe "'AU'" lorehilecJlJre vrbainel slvdenh 110.$ made visib!eo cIe.slTe 10' monifest Ihe ~Iheofelicol praie<:t~ 'til $omelhingllangibl'e. The cUnflulalllle nature. ·of jhe work underloken in the 1IUdio hos. buill up no! just (:I stock 01 informalion but 00 hi,sloricolly.inforrned method for ~oosislcnl reading 01 Ihe dl:y (:Indlor propo~lng sympalheHc jnl.er.-ention$.

found ·tlr<hitocture a.lons boulevard sG.i.nllaul'ent

to-cone esl • .IIlC' lorma symocliqllc, eli,., pol$edO un!) 101><lion ncrmtmeuH'jIJe pre$quc ill~puisoble.

The mop i~ Iymbolk form, il possesses on oImO$J jnexhcnHlible hermeneuuc iunclion. Andre Ch(ulel'

block pattern.$

The loclile experience of spoce is not tro:lu,feroblc, but in Ihe abstroc:t the relation

between orchireeruteond ils siluotion con be "onllcyed by mapping. The urban texture 01 Montreal r(\sulis Irorn ils layout insegmCll1i. thol refl·ecl its topoSfophy. The 0(&1 examined islhe southerly porlion 01 51. lauren', 0 slrl*)l Ihal divides the city ond has symbolized the Iront:ophoM/onglophone whurol franlier. ~Ir,elching from Ifte 51. lawrence River in the ,south 10 the Riviere d~ Prairies in the north. In IhiS2:one, on Ihe Plateau iust above Ihe 'ccsccOrpmenl thot 5herbrooke slreellollO'Ws, the Io,~ hove more or less been standardized os 7.75 m [25'J wide and from 21.7 m 171'110 37.2 rn [122'J deep. The blocks themselves are o,loifly can~IOI1I width 01 cboul' 50 m 1164·l Their monotonous length ranSa) from squcrrish exception 10 <:In overoge or about .3 or .1 times the width An internol olley is ahen Q typkal ,haracleri.!.lit: oIlne block,. oppecri n9 in the length ond! or tronwer:solly. Oheo the small streeh rvnning! porolleltolhe mojor street, osin the cese of SI. lovnml bounded 0('1 each side by Clark and SI Domil"lique,runcl.ion os 0 hnd cloUey or servant s!rae) {Figure 2}.

The dty harbours a cvhu/ol producer,s <ommunlly (parnculorlyodille in Itheolfe., donee, populor music and "'the spedode-") that isoHrocled by Ilow J,j"ing costs .. Montreal l~ o.trodilionoHy residential dty known lor il;l.nighllife. Some 75% a'r 'Ihe pcpulctienore lenanl$, on unusually highproportlon. However, durlnglhe COI"I~trtldion of major infra· structure Ihal mor1ced Ihe SO's and 60's, Montreal's city engineers mode most streets one Way rOC$lrotk!.. The fronl rooms of Ihe Iriplexe! lining wO!IJ.known residemiolsheets such os $1. .urbain (f·re Quou'tted bylhe noise and fumes o! the Row ·of C.ommuler vehicles.

The P,laleou is choradeJ'ized by Q heterogeneous. mix af h.ll1clionol occopotions .. Neor Ihe Irock~ ore pl(Jnled Ihe colocs.w'j footprints, ·oio concentration of bulky, drab factories o! the $dhmala distrid, hoosinglhe IIdlollle 9oTmenl'ind\1~lry. Adjocenllo downlown, the older fur di'lllrklc:onl.oims inle.ruely mebopdlilon buiilding.s whose inl,erior spaces are (ovoured!by o.l"'li.sls ,ondgoUefies. Ano,ppoolingly dumb fOClory loft type o'f buitding-a m.uhi-sJlor,ey box, lypicoUy S ·10 s.toreys, wilh, .sloir '~nd ,elevol~r, its footprinl filling the site-is in.tenniHe.l'lity ~:prink:led rh'rou"holJ'lllhe f!loleou, especiolly 0.101'191 51. l.attrent a.nd MountR;oyal, Ihe Iprim::ipo'l commercin,l s.tfel3'ls.

Peter ton"keni's roooYo:lion,o[ (I o1:1.e·slorey 11oroge woreh.ouse inlo siudio end living 5;poce EOI 0. Mo.nlTeol ol1isl on, Ihe PI'otecu' demon:1lroles bo!hthe adaptability of ~.oIid indusltial' veJ"nocu'I'ar toniltutl'ion 10' new need~ ond the rel'evonce of the archiled's otlilude towards diweedy merging Ihe new' ort:h.iledure with whol j!. exi5ling. The l'o<:onk slreet elevalion ollowsonly CI 1u99a~lion af a .sophisticoted series of inferior space$coiled obol)llha embedded s:ludio volum.e. Because of (estric:ljlle miloyen wall

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conditions On three sides 01 the building, most 01 its spaces are lit from the sky with 0 series 01 dilferenr kinds 01 roof openings, The inside blends a riqourous ordering of volume with 0 sens;vitity to the ~turdy construdion 01 the exi$ting shell (Figvre 3),

the triplex

The triplex is the 10$(inoting Montreal building type thot did not rnoke it into Steven Hell's otherwise instruc:tive Pamphlet on North Arnericcn vernacular budding types_ The study

of the Iriplex would moke a poper in itsell. It has spawned legal romilicotions in the Civil Code beyond the scope of this ~hJdy, The fosc\l'IOting formol component of the lTiplex j~

its brick porty wall o( mu( mi/oyen and the rigou( oi ils serial positioning on the block, while usually masonry, the party walls separating the triplexes in the poorer neighbour' hoods sometimes are discovered to be illegol wood consfruction. The prevolence 01 wood construction is 01 concern in a city where lires ccused by orson, elecfrico], and domestic occidents can be particularly threatening during the time~ 01 regular seasonal extremes: severe ",inter cold and excessive summer heoL

There are more triplexes in the oreo $tudled than any other building type, but Ihere is quite a ronge of building types, cnd wifhin the triplex type there ore numerous vorionts. The triplex moy show up singly, as a twin, 0 triplet, or in a continuous row, Generolly il ho~ on L-shoped plan, lorming 0 tiny rear courtyard. OHen there i~ 0 storogc shed attached to the reor, coiled a honqor.once used for cool storcqe, whose tower,like quollty is ernphosized by sheet melal ~heathing_ The Iron! is sel bock 10 allow on e xlerior access stoir, often 01 open treods on 0 spiro] strucrore. There is usually 0 bolcony ottha thi(d ~Oo( and Ihe mIddle stoir landing serves as onothe( bolcony, whence the popular term, "Bo/conville," A two storey, duplex flat type sirnilor to the iriplex is inter~per~ed in neighborhoods .n the oreo (Figvres -4 8. 5),

Ingenious qestures lor economizing space led to the exterior stair, The thriftiest model may sport a V·~hoped landing thot recalls Duchomp$' modilied reody-mode door and double Ira me, "Door, /1 rue Lo(rsy, Pon's" (1927), Duchornps door was removed from the original apartment in which it was built and placed in 0 privote collection In Ihis cose the reproduction installed in its plcce might be more orchitecturolly informative than its displaced original.

The plan 01 the trIplex is inefficient ot best, a Siring 01 dark rooms off a long corridor, Notoriously poorly Iii 01 grode, the triplex's block orientotion is no] odvantogCCJus lor iliuminatiorL When Atelier Big City built on Clork Street, the orchilects ccpirolized on a wicJor than usuol frontage. lhey re-oriented the building to the side, 010n9 the entrance walkway thot penetrates 10 the middle 01 the 101. The relotion to triplex is only os a massing outline, os the project hO$ on original re- siting scheme.The pion IS sleek ond modern, opening lowords its side slot (Fi9ure 6),

Jocqees R.ousseau obtoined 0 leftover sliver ot the end of a typical blo<:k lor his Moisan CO/Ofliale The undersized lot wcs finolly permiHed by Ihe city, The house formollyand materiolly has lillIe in common wilh tho Iriplex except for its three [loors, ond iI~ mos~ing, It is legible as a double tower. The interpenetroting spoce ond light in thi S otelier / dwelli n9 ore exc:eptionoL I

A common vernoculor variont on the Iriplex is the commerciol type wh0fe a ground lloor is independent from 0 two storey lIot thai ~it$ on top. The exterior stair is still present os 0 noorieH exterlO( room, (rom grade 10 the middle lloor. The ~toir to Ihe upper lloor i~ inside_ This arrangement permits the dork 9round noor to be used as a smoll store or business, The generous proporticns 01 the intemol stoir and mld·noo( spaces of this type on Bleury Street ollow more specious and better iUuminoted interiors,

positiol'l i" the c:i~

The relenlless gridded bloch 01 the North Americ:on city inve~t loyers 01 meaning in the trodilional corner integeciions, The corner store or deponneur programmolicoUy rein' force1the urbon block structure, When the en'pho~is is carried through oechitecnrrolly, the CIty goins, At the corner of R.ochel and St, Hubert, lour of the commercial variant are ~ited in chance speculcr perlection, from 0 key position in the living room, ot 0

6. Pion' ol oporlman'1 delig/'lod by ~i9 City,

,.

mid-poinl 01 one dw;}\!ir1g, all three comer windowi, bolconies, entrances and signoge are visible and oliqned, framed in the fourlh corner."

Topogrophic and specil« ~ite conditions adjust Ihe cherccter oltl,e typical triplex, The ~ooth type is generated form the rcre case 01 a street, ~vch os Sherbrooke, thai loUo~ 0 traditional roadbed ond cuts 0 diagonal through 'he grid. Sherbrooke is located 00 the escorprnent, where the slope ii moderate, ~ IhClt the reor ol ibc buildings veer over the adjacent loI~ os extremely Ihin rowers. At the fronl, the Cl(lra wrlace area provided by the sawtooth ROl1eM and inleMi~es the perspective of the front ele-oucos 01 Ihe buildings, somewlwl like the effed 01 a telephoto lens, Another effect 01 the escorpment os a lIestigiollond~ope can be 5eef1 in the siting of 0 rorol-like street cdioceor to an l)I1usuollerroce condition ot St. Denis just below Sherbrooke.

the tommercial prototype

The ordinory tornmercial building is 0 simp~ three storey box that fills it\ site ol'1d relotes dire<11y 10 the stroot. In 0 cose o! jt~ renovation by orchitect L<K Laporte il may be considered 0 contemporory copitoli~t "urban condenser." lu» is a cole located in the lower two stories of the standord cornrnercicl building on SI. Laurent. The o{chill!ci inserted 0 dynoll'li( double Siair like 0 whirligig into the reor double height space. The theme of the dome thaI il introduced obo-e the space is (ep«lted If) the curved metal stair and the silver bubbled ceiling of the up~toi(~ bar. The pointed metal recolls the curving exterior staifS that populate Montreal streets and olleys. Upltoirs. T'$hirt~ hang from clotheslines in the main domed spoce as ;f It were on olley, evoking Woiter Benjamin's theme of the street as a kind of interior beccose it is a collective spcce. like the main dregs, Lvx is open 24 hours o day, and busiest oker midnight. Rodio-CoflQdo used the cole as 0 locolion for a live theatre, lilm and literoture critics' broodccsi ellery week (figure 7J.

,parJIIIQnh 8ig Cily

N. ~ ( ()

repentive tommerclal ityp~

Cinema ParaHeJe"011 ilY!Ji)Ott{tnt'site for v!/l;Wl119 :ind~l!dent1y prorlu.ced dnefl'ii<l Ol\d ",ideo in CorrOdO" is loeoted Fti 0 h_ui1Idi:t;g type thO'f ~se,s a,s, (I P,Qi'ty-woll"ed rOw, when in foel tt'is composed of a pair of bUildings, conttruded 'OfOOOvt Hl9\2,1 Wi1hin <cooh Q,ne, !l series of internol walts hO$ been placed 10 c1eote on intimate sc:ole oJ se¥etll SindII' ·commerdol :Spt'lces. the bUildingl known '!:l$ lhe "B'ox'tnr BloCk:" ~s <:Ufren~y dh .. idedinlo 13 pl'~pertles. AI 3682" Cloudll Ch!.lmbu~lot:ld insJ:!1ie.d Q ttny "il'lemQ 1n 19713 wilh 83 ~c1l's ,and ,0 -cafe ,oM ,the street "The Jrot!t df the cinema 15 0 14 'froot luppro'li mOlely .fm] wlde cafe WhO$6 pro.portlons are !d~ol. The rear S1!9'i'ltenl noMs ihe mlJputjon dnamo which hes the Intimni;-yof '0 ,sliFeenmg room, 1;1re middle ,of the iblock hC50n clfer Ear csxil requirementslfigvte Wi.

fo the ,south of 'Ih,e ,Bax;terSlock,. down Ihe :~f~, Jacqqes, lOOuueQv';s .bQF reliluStoUo:i1."

ON.ginoUy named 1'00rA; initially appeared 10 be,.Q ,s)"nthesis of ~mon and! Monlri!ol bor,$., :In Iis linUlaldean spoce 'Illot 9pcned to fhe str'(l~J. in, fronl (ondlolite .a1l:Cy b.ehrnd, if r~,spaJtded fa Laporte'iS ie Sn.m noorbr. It 1m .. sirnc'e beenreru.woted twioo" but ha& kepI its, sheetmelal roOF elevation fhol '1'0)'$ homage 'tolne ie;genrlory hangar oHlle ,ltlplCJI.

imli1l'lt.otioil :and JiHlfliy wdll

'The buildm;g types and their vorianhare lilleresl1ng inthek Interrelalions. and :f.o~,ciI'lOI· ing 10ituff 'fat frtltlsfo:tlnotlOI1l. In the ct'l'se 01 ihe smaU, square blocck 0+ Pm!!' ond St L<ll.:irCl1l, tJ,Q 1mbdcalionofo $etle$ of $p0126S. end iho'wtileytransformed 'over tfme, :Ien! YivJd inlm'eSl' lo Ihe site ... In oo:m'l'1ierdolllw;jdio9~ w'hldhooevpicd the sitej 'vlted)' d.eSlroyed ;by hfe in Fc'bl'uaty 199:3, :!he logic of tl,e party woJJ fio longer tigut.ed in a sllored li:rndionl'lJ o:«cmge'menf~elW:E!'et:l ,:sevaru[ SMaIl theatre '9:roij'~!i who practiced in ine voriety of$pac(!<s in Ihe build''rr\gs., Drtd GSJ:et\ogrophlc :pomfer wilm Jil",eddnd worked III OIl Ilf~r 10M. the poinler's: S'f'Ooe had been renovated in '!he seventies to creale Powerhouse. the pioneer· ing :fe:mIIr'lFsitltli!I"'run gonery. tt w4~ pe:rhap,slhen thol <1rusibl& Jiftk: flte door WaG

11" l1o..rmer sJ,~dio .. lP'owe~h.Ou.5e 9Qnef)'.

9'. Emhedded t>M.a~t4 bOUi1Ie1. K.l!:lIritn heklle(i:. l~O. Pit:m and $e~li.otl of CiaCm.'!l PcaNlillete. lJrawillgs hy Kl1l1 RliPloyl,

I! 11. Trodllfllllld1 oocrd

cons IrvdLo n, tll!!. ,:5J. DorrWllqv!!, ,Mol1l',ea.i, I ~t9'2.

9

j

16

inslolled in the porly well, opening tha IpOC:C, lit on Ihe two lon9 sides ond the trird ~horl ~ide, 1o its en~an(8 lobby borrowed Irom the adjacent bUilding {Figure 81- POW'BrhOU5e stayed at this lccction for severol yecrs but WO~ obliged to leave becouse the city of Montreot could not aHow lhe kind of perlcrmonce eveors Ihot I+.c gollery wonted 10 siege in Ihis spcce. no doubt becouse it~ axil requirements could nol be fulfilled thi~ miniature block 15 100 tiny to have on olley to exit onto. Al grade below, 0 re~lou(ol'll renovotion drDmoticaily rroversed the en!ire block and incorporated a visuol reference 10 Ihe nor row block o~rongem8l'lt luc Loporte fe-configured Ihe restouronl Le Sam into 0 block·,hlough reoovorioo thol exploited il~ Irave'sing the s",orl dimension of Iho bled by oligning the two doors and long single ~hot corridor. The moil'l double height space 01 the colel resiouron! rood /rcm the exterior 01 night os a ~erje! 01 ousrere lrornas mode visible by Ihe illuminated 9Io~~ ponelled ceiling ond upper wall. lhe relation ol these two excepIlonol speces in Ihi~ block. and Iheir imbnc.olion with the other spaces sel up 0 powerfui formel ~i9(1i(i<:01io",.

The opprecrolioo of !he smell scole buildin9 is not exclusjve 10 Montreol. or ony other cily. ond dialogue wilh ploces where sirnilor cpprocches hove been sv«es~rul hove emerged_ The winners or Toronto' s innovolive N.oin~lreels cOfTIpaiition "'ere from Montreol'. Aloin Corle, Denyse Gouthler, Nicholos Roqvet, s(udenl~ of Ireno lorek, of the Universite de Montr6ah "AU~ studio "'11h Georges Adomcyzk O! critic from UQAM ~ TV/o built projech in Toronto, 10 which could be odded 0 series 01 exomples i(l other citie~, dernonstrote the efleclivenes' 01 smoll scole 'nlervcnlion.

Kathleen Kerlin's renovohon or a commerciol building on Queen Street preceded the Moin~lreell. der')~ification in;fialive by severe] years The orchil-e<t added 0 ~!jm lower to the rear of the bL,;:ding and connected it ''lith light metal brid9~s to Ihe existing three storey sfrucfure, which IS used by the owner ond lenan/1 for living, otelier , and s)reel' reJoled comrnerc.o] uses. lhi~;~ 0 proje<:! by Ih~ owner/orchitect where every oscble squore i~ch hc~ been explo.ied. The Ironl elellot'()fl looks weI! mOlnlained bul nol

!Iy~

~rble \).",:hiIC~I. :jj)JI 01 ',!)rowrflg' r

L , ooro

51.

reet, 1992

hee~ssorHy overly fi9fl9I10tec!, wh\lethe reor h t,l!1IadQmw und moqern, the pouTed cencrefa cOl:(niermf The pore iHmWded with .found: 19)'S' cnd-tJQmeslic items (Figure 9)'.

In KenS-iri9ton _Markel, a col1l?dlve has-tll)i!! o-n' addition on lJ' reorfragtnenl of u lot Inat ls ac.ce;s~1b!e by 0 _thin olIe)l. WMe: d mere :Five·ish ~torey$, it~ smail footprint, some 25_ by-2Shae.t, tenders-it very towe.r·Hks'. Once 099!1'I {l fusible link door is.reqo'red'-Io proted .the w1ndo\v over 0 Iof-line. I.t peers over the iiumbfe of ibui'ld:in:gs end narrow streets in themarket 01 close ronge, bot is i nvh-ihle-rrom the end or I:he, block, near Spddlntl:, 8u1lt by oteattl of Walerloo gf:OduDtes :i!'lcludl(19. Tracey Eve Win'lon '01'1 d-Oli s Mcr!'ochaux, d1ler,,0 Ihesb'proi~ by Greg P89C:Ock, it is en e;)(:tremeo:;o~e of how-mw:h con. be. done with IlliIe-

grade space,' --

condu_silln

A re(ef-enee that underlies ihis po.pe,ris j.h~oe!>thelic: pi-OdiclSi, poeHcoUy de\lelo~d bY' ,the slli'rea[lslS,Ciild progmot.iwUy- by the till.iotionisfs., thol perceives Cind considers !Im· cily: and its-components as found material in e collectivewoTk in prog(e~$. As Fmn9.oi$e - thoo.y ho~ note-cf in passing, Oil_the v:iwal and plastic arts coukfbe Gonsidered as 'synihesized or prolotypiC<llty embedded in:a work of ar.chl!e<::hm.'l',~ lhe 'theatre of ERS [FleVitrlor Repair Setvice), in Mcmho!;lon., IS- on e;?l:Qmple from 'onotner disc1pliine, Thlil gTOUp w_ork~ from -an_y sorl of dis.c:orde.d texJ,_s:c-reenp;!ay~,even'~o\!lnd,eHect:s ooises,. developing fhem rn rehearsal, shaping scenes cor characters ,cround_the fo'liInd so·vltds or printed molter.

Since the reodymode _0 rnf the demotedalizationol 'the art objed, 'crt produdion has al'igned with the aleatory to emphasize ,0 kind ·ofiemporal summatiO.M. The process of de:slgnof,ing, of il'1!er(niitently tendel'i.rig 'oews-sible" orc:hitedurol Ql:ld urbon ~pace hm been 0 significant dev~}opment-in reamtar! prodica. Lois NesbiH'~ df)sig~OlioM of defuncl ad galleries in Monhollan eQuld- beseen as en _~tensicn- :of Flu){u-s: oon~nng and c_otegodzing,10 Archlteclvr:o.1 pra<;tice;s .wel) os th.e CraXipn CoJloborotive hO\l~ fused .t()(lserv.Q!ior'l otld eCQlogy ).$50e5 by re~d_o5s1!yjng preservotion o~ '9 re:<::y!=l1n:g 01 'architeclure/and :il"lcorporoting recyd1ng _and :energyc-onsciousneS-$nE!ss fnlo Ihe: a-rchilectvilol .so'lution"u Ron Arod's incorporation at 'Rover ·cor soots into 0 !'ineof -furri~fure design, orOO'll'id Ham.mo:ns' interlinking. helWeen tl'i'iban detritus, Africol1_.Amerit(f1'l tulli,tf:e tltId ecoiogy are dlversec-Llrrents of these-purs1Jits. horges-cole work by_ Monlrb:lt based orthts Moriho Fte-mming anti Lyne iLapointe involved !relecting spec.ificabo:ndoned bt!ikllngs_-IO repr,esenl sodol instiluliorls rhot wer'il::experlen:c_ed by VIsItors o~ te,mp-prary inslollol1"Ql1s', _Sculptor ~duordo ,AqoIno has, set out sculpturdl In~tal!ofions in, guerrilla trCi_dilion in empo/ buildings Orid vaCtint lois. 01'1 0, rrtore popular level, llight(JlJbs-:su.ch as Fbufounes Electriques, post punk-.culhj(oj hoodquarters in MQlitriQl, or Ih(fBpyine SeJcCrub In 'Toronto- instailihemseive-s in ar'ld affix: ,the debris-oF the elty on and in the liuikling ihelf as

emblems oFa selF-con~dollis urbon sensibility. -

notes

l' ,Frcmo;nhe Chooy, L'.AII~gorie du parrlmorno!p<Jfi';-_:' Edi~i"on-s du Seul~ 199:3), p. 196-, My t.rO'Hloiion (MQ.fl iirc'bilech -Ilnd buiId_ers [t.riJditiohgtIyJ mtlinl_o1n.edo dirlld c<?mJn:~rce wlifb iI-erroi1'l oll.d woJel";s, d~mQle Qn~ wlhd" the s~50ni. Qnd ,the:~kr).

2, Repartorred'i;JrchitfJdwe Irod;lionf)lI~ sur If) fcrrfiol're dEl fa Comm(J.n!Tvlii urh-"iiI(I de MonirooJ. 10 volillllei _fMQi'tlool: C.U.M" -I 9·g0;! 993i.

3, (Hom; Bhabhg, "The_Third .space, ~ IdenHIy, _CtJiivre, Prlf<;!f;ence, reprinled'.in S~ila ?-etty, Iden1ily

,and Con'l'dQv.srtess fR~IM: D_u:r;lop- GaUery- ') 991:)~ p. 17.

4, And'ri':Chilstd, "Pr~'1o,9.;; Syslimic~' l'QrcM~V.nHJ.rQQine lP!;IJ'is.: :i:difion:s'<i'!.i tNlt-S, j 977}, pJI£, 5, JQ.Gql!~ R()u~seo.\}Js Moiwn Golonlole l~~\lmented ~n Loftis 73! 1992;1, :pp .. 36,,-9,_

6. :ab~er\lati6i'1 b~ !~Emnefh HoyeHn eon!tQf5:o1ion with Inil' author.

'7, Cbminun.clI;la Urboil\&ido MdiMrW_I, Repl'Jlofre-d~i;1rcMe_dime liodirr-otlflelle ,5u,.,~ iM'ifoi're de ia Communal/Ie Urhaine.de-Maflirtof,. vqJ. 9, Arch1tedlJl"eCOOlMer<i<)le lJJ - lees m(rg(.t~iflS, le,5 dil.~mQ$_ ·Moiltreok COtl'!ffluhdJ.ilb· urboin :de Mofilreo-I19S5.pp. 268·73.

8', Tbe ~Moil)~lre¢i~" <:oompi;lHfioH wo~ <:lo.c!Jment~ in 1'1/0(;11$,7:2 (Win-'er-1'99:j I, ,9. Cho-oy, r')"II(rgorill ,til' ptrlrimo;rle~ p. 19.2,

1t C Q N I' r i [ tl C "

10, lob NtllbltY~, 1992 :~GtiBery lohtils/ S'ee 'Tim_othy :NY8:, '''ConcepflidlArl;, '0 spatial' pC'N.'Pedive,-· The ,RQwer"Oi lhe City, iifeCI/y "fPower ~hib~flOTl (;Q1QICS.lJ .. ed~. C.HoIIGVCI-ct, i<,Jpnl'ls, (l~ 1,htyc INsw- YOtl!: ~ Whfln,ey Mut!.lum {)f,A;meritlln ,Art, I 99:2:}, p" 'T6,

11.0n ihlyGroltfon'ColI{JDolilj,ive{:s Nc1IO)lQf Avd_ Hwdi!flJorlill'l,$Ooil BFI'ln,dai'l viii" "'irn:!Jlil' ~m.I' Spec:ttH,," Nnw Yorker" :iOd, '1:2" 119921 p. 57; or 'flerbert MUScj'!il1lip, "Beyo,nd Organic:

Amh!l&eiur~,jj New 'York Times (july ,26, ! 992.). ;p.. 26.

ibiblio,grcophy

Atla:mayit, -Galrgc.$"MoIvin Chorney, Alan. Krrtglill, treno l:ahilk, ,e,.:of.Vll1eMOfapJrore Praiel,

Atrehif«iut~umlfi(ctf1 d MOnlteo; 1981H9S?O (Monttk¢l~ .lidilIUi'l5,',dJj M{ltldren, 19,92}. ~Qird.George,·lMeory: vac-antlcnl in T01ol1lo. ~V-o~anl toti:ery' D:es,igncQlI.rtr:{:ariy lO8 n97B~ 1.7":31, Benham;. Reyner. ,MliIgtrsln.rc;)vri! {N!3w York,: Hotpllt ,& Row, '191,6).

Bo:nbom" Iloy.nor. A COJ:ICl'I!te Allam !Ccmbtid'g-e. Man:.: MIT PreS's, [19:86] Jl'9S9}.

Bett:¢il; Mtthld$~(l_ild R;O$f 'I$r-(fIllJ!1.PJgnOi'l.$.fJt rue, Ie$- qllarli~.t$. aaMaltliii:aflMomrilob Guer!i'!, 19911-

'B~dO!l. Frat'K:4:liso. A.ndre C~PSffll, H61!!lM Co.uzy:. and fti:lflfOl'~ Hal'hof'!. ~)'$~mc ae /'art'nttEcftite urbaine; Ie quorfier des Ho)ies i.i f-(lris tPari.l~ EdJli01l-S- au CNRS. 1977), '

Ci;:Ihen:, .1oolv10\lt$.. ~Ld 'COUjjIJre entre tllI'chllm:fes·1!t trtleli'ediJol.,_ ....• ~!f1 DX,anto no.l,- iRooh~<he~ 1I I'kol'e ,d'orchltetlur" Pot1i".:vilJemln '19&41.

Eleb; M., M,C; Cian.gneliK, 'F; jLQi~. and C Santelli .. TypefoeieqperatiOllo1lada, .1iJ.,oblt01 anciQJ'I

l8-d8· 19,2:8, III~RAU Ad8S d'ecdlloqtlo lParb: Plan Con5trvdion, ')918~ .

. F~nlon,_1c5tlph. J-ilybrla,BfJildin,g5. New y(Jrk~ :Pi:tm_poiln Artch1fecfltmIlQ, 11, '1985,.

fol'!fcr,. BNno. te ,h1ciropOlillmaginaire;,t 'A11a.',-dCl Formm porisienne5 rBruKello£ Mardega, 'i <;89j. Galard", Jeo~, 1~R_epe-respoilr "IlIQrgiucmanl.de l'oxpel';engj QSlheijqoe.'i '/)i'O£1(mG 11 '9 Uu:ll1ef"

j~li1brb 19S2J"

,Gisdio:n. Slegfrled.MaChanimtiOlllC'klts -Cnmmwn:t, (New "Yo~k: Norloil,19-A'81.

iHegemc!!IfI, W~riler .IJer SlddlOOoIl ilru:h ae" Er.8e~tii$nin ,dcr AJICJem,etnoo $18i!ftt!~cu AlIswllvflge(j in Berlin ,vl1dViJ5!.eIJwf ne.bsJ "lITem Anhdng:OiI? Jnternalio.mlle ,Sttidtebav·:Ail5Ic.l!Vl'lg Jrl OO$$f!ldott. 2vcfs.. !!B-e~ln; E. W!l~Ml)lh,. 1911·13)"

;Hl:iJI.. 51e¥en. Rurcl oJttdUrbc:m HO!;!${} Typel in N'Orln Ameika INow¥ork: Pamphlef ,An:hitedure nO. 9,19a.2).

HcI[!ilYoef,. c., K. Jonet~ a.nd 1. Mye.The POI¥Sl" of Ihe City, the'City pf',Power e,mibmQtl coiclqgue (New '(Q(~ WhHfrtlY .Museum,of A!herko;n Art, 19921,

Jacobi;. Jene, th:eDea/h {"rKll.:ife'ofGreOt Amerfcjj(t ellie$ {Now-Yo-ric Vi'ti!O'Slll"i9.o I I.

Jone5~ EdWard., :and -C. Wooaw(I1IJ. AGorae 10 'he :At't'hftet1l!re~lolll:lon (!!.ondon: "Thama-s.,& H.ue~, i 9133, 1991).

:~uc,. Mcrys.e,QIld 'Denys Moreholld. LII'$ Maisons at! Mon/rfJa1 !Montreal: VJlfe· de MOl1lreal, 19921,

Mtman, J'eon,·Claude. Momrddlin &oM;on {Monrreal: .McGTf! Ulljver~lty, {11'974jI'9901. ReperlOl't:a a"orc;hi,Mtil& ItttditlopelJe $11-' Ie fatrIJ"fr&Qe /0 (emil:! l.ma!ilJliJrnlline ,da Mi:!lltrbal, 1-0' V~Il)medMonrrenh Comm.lj'!1Cl!Jte UrhainG de ,MQ)1ilipj, Sprti¢e ~e laplanffl.c(lfK)Jll du ler~i'Qlre:" 1980-1'9131,

Ro{~j, AI.do.1h:e ArchfieCfute'of,he,CUy (-Camiirird.ge, :Ma~s,; Mill :P;re~~. ['1-9661198'2), Roumt, tJi:e. RVi'mge d'Oulr·emobJ:·SSAC BiJlteh'n, 15:1 f19891.

Mode·P-ovie"Mao:lonold h anarchitEld, M.OAG., an-dAS!ibtuhl Pro'fe!.wr oi the; UnMi1'sity of Wl;iicrloo' $¢hool oJ ArdiJltedllro.

lhi~msl.!.Orah wo.dunaed 'by (I 'Un'ivlll1rty 01 WClerloo SSHRC.gront.