ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
ESPLANADE TRANQUILLE
LES ARCHITECTES FABG
The Esplanade Tranquille constitutes the last phase of a project to develop the public spaces of the West Pole of the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal . Its name pays tribute to the Tranquille Bookstore , once located on the site , an important place in the contemporary history of Quebec where the Refus global manifesto was launched in 1948 .
Located at a nerve center of the city core , at the junction of Saint- Laurent Boulevard and Sainte-Catherine Street , the esplanade has a complementary vocation to that of the Place des Festivals by offering citizens a refrigerated ice rink in winter , and a little greenery and freshness in summer . A varied program of shows and activities makes it a place of relaxation and entertainment all year round . It energizes the process of transformation of the city center , which is becoming more and more a living environment inhabited in a diversified way , as validated by the construction of new apartment buildings adjacent to this new public space .
Following the Quartier des Spectacles development plan , the esplanade includes a linear service building perpendicular to Sainte-Catherine Street that borders a public square . This public square host shows during the festivals that follow one another in summer , and turns into a refrigerated ice rink as soon as the first cold weather arrives . To facilitate these transformations , public furniture including chairs , tables , umbrellas , braziers , planting bins , service kiosks , fences , stage , and mobile games are stored in the basement to be deployed as needed .
The integration of the esplanade into the Quartier des Spectacles project was done by implementing the materials and elements of urban furniture characteristic of the first phases already completed .
ARCHETECH - PAGE 68