The art of planning space
Current Bâtiment 7 projects only occupy about a third of the inside space. Though some of the rest will be taken up by the food and family services initiatives, there are several issues — both inside and out — for which the community is turning to Concordia for design and planning help.
To that end, a number of Concordia professors took part in a design charrette — a form of stakeholder consultation where ideas about design can be freely exchanged and adapted. They included Carmela Cucuzzella, Alice Jarry, Kregg Hetherington, Maude Lecourt and Shauna Janssen. The charrette was also open to their students, eager to apply this strategy in an embedded community context.
“We are hoping that, with our students and by listening to the desires and needs of the community, we can help come up with ideas that reflect the community’s values for the development of the exterior of the building,” says Janssen, director of Concordia’s Institute for Urban Futures.
“The community is interested in creating a new public space and possibly a community garden. We’re also looking at possibilities for a green alley and blue alley, linked to water management.”
Janssen thinks supporting Bâtiment 7 demonstrates Concordia’s commitment to experiential learning opportunities for students and highlights the role of the OCE in that regard.
“This is a unique, pro-active model that sees the OCE significantly contribute to the work of researchers on the ground.”
She says the design charrette and ensuing work will bring to the initiative best practices for building and developing our cities.
“We get to support communities in a way that is different than what they get from the City of Montreal or from developers. We bring in more of the ethos of inclusivity and diversity. We’re facilitating and taking part in a process of co-creation, rather than the standard top-down design process.”
Find out more about Concordia’s Office of Community Engagement.