A New Viaduct For The MIL
Campus Of The Université
De Montréal
Facing the campus, the viaduct acts as a backdrop that
comes to life at night when four light ‘tableaux’, inspired
by Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawings, appear and disappear in the
dark. These, generated by 135 LED light bars inserted on
the diagonal grid of the west guardrail, are programmed to
produce ephemeral patterns in constant movement.
In forthcoming years, the University of Montréal, one of the city’s major institutions, will
be opening a second campus located on a former railway yard. Existing tracks had to be
relocated in order to accommodate the new facilities and a new viaduct was built over the
campus’ future access road.
The chosen theme for this virtual animation is that of the
four seasons: drops of rain, followed by snowflakes, allude
to the fall and winter seasons; creepers announce the
spring and fireflies celebrate the summer.
The east guardrail is treated in a more static but no less
dramatic way. At night, the upper structure appears to
float above its sculptural base, every detail emphasized by
lighting. The geometric pattern used for the architectural
guardrails is reproduced on the railings protecting the
parallel sidewalks, below the viaduct.
Responsible for the architectural and lighting treatment
of this bridge, the designers believed that a subtle and
poetic use of light would resonate within the heavily
transformed environment.
They hoped to draw attention to the railway yard’s history,
soon to be totally eradicated with the advent of new
university pavilions and urban streetscape.
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