« La texture première de l’existence des individus comme des peuples est géographique. »
– Pierre Nepveu
The relationship between culture and landscape is a fundamental component of identity. Like poetry, architecture becomes a medium of growth and expression. Transforming the territory through its multiple layers of occupation, architecture composes cultural landscapes, shifting with each culture. These successive layers of occupation enrich our territories, revealing a fertile ground in constant renewal. It is this richness that has inspired the expression of our project Espace Rivière, colline anthropique.
From the outset, we propose the metaphor of the cliff on the side of a hill, this universal image that allows us to push the idea of hiking in nature and to stretch the thread towards the city, the boulevard, and that will lead us to the realization of a collective vision. Delimiting the urban space where vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians pass through the city, the Espace Rivière mound echoes the Monteregian chain of hills, many of which are visible from its summit. It thus calls for the exploration of a larger territory.
The cliff imposes itself as a landmark in the district. Its morphology expresses the strata of limestone on which Montreal rests, while its identity is a cultural mix, alluvium of emotions, sediment of knowledge.
