Irma-Levasseur Park, Montreal, Qc Canada

DESCRIPTION

Creation of a new, resilient sponge park in the heart of MIL Montréal. The design is the result of a process that brought together development, citizen participation and historical interpretation strategies in a synergistic and unifying vision. The park is an urban oasis, harmonizing nature and functionality by ecologically managing the area's rainwater, including the adjoining streets. Sculpted into a two-lobed floodable basin, it retains up to 2,500m3 of rainwater, aspiring to become Montreal's most ambitious sponge park. Wet meadows, a three-layered forest and a flower meadow frame a vast plain, a shaded playground and an educational zone, promoting biodiversity. The topography, in addition to managing water, offers a program divided into three areas: a large relaxation plain, an exploration undergrowth and a collective playground. Adjacent to a future elementary school, the park is designed to share its spaces, a portion of which will function as a school park at certain times of day.