The history of the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex (SMEC) is mark­ed by radical changes and transformation. At first a quarry, then a dumping site, the SMEC is now being repurposed as one of Montreal?s biggest parks with a focus on the environment and sustainable living. Through these cycles, human intervention has taken a severe toll on the site?s topography and symbolism within the city.
The new soccer stadium emerges from the park?s artificial topography as a layer of mineral stratum recalling the geological nature of the site. The mineral stratum is articulated by a continuous roof which cantilevers over the entry plaza, folds down over the interior soccer field, and extends to the ground to accommodate spectator seating for the outdoor field. Simultaneously reacting to the site and the requirements of the program, the dramatic roof structure gives a distinctive and unified presence to the complex. The park?s immense size called for an architectural intervention of grand scale and a truly unique gesture in the city. To ensure the formal unity of the project, the design has been developed as the transformation of a single expansive element: an innovative hybrid wood structure composed of both CLT and glulam elements. The structural grid forms a layered mesh which appears to be random at first sight, but which in reality becomes denser where added structural strength is needed.
Along Papineau Avenue, the architecture adapts itself to the existing landscape by embeddin...