SCIENTIFIC PAVILION IN CHARLEVOIX

 

Client:

OGC - Observatoire de la Géosphère

de Charlevoix

La Malbaie, QC. Canada

2015

800 m2 / 8 610 ft2

''A Centre for discovery, observation, research, and a laboratory, the Pavilion Hubert-Reeves in Charlevoix will also be a "socially responsible" building in the community; it will be a facility capable of serving the region in ways far beyond its primary functions.''      

-Hubert-Reeves

 

At this centre, visitors can discover the wonders of geology and the environment through informative expositions. The unique organization of this building, divided into multiple landings on 3 half levels, creates a pathway of discovery. 

The visitor learns, step by step, about the geologic structure of the site as they move along long curved ramps filled with expositions and tools to observe, educate and monitor changes in the region. As you advance along this pathway, you move towards the centre of the project, like a body being pulled inwards by the effect of gravity.    

 

Aiming for the very highest environmental standards, the project wishes to become a model of sustainability and autonomy. In particular, the bioclimatic concept aims to maximize the harnessing and storage of solar energy by the stripping of a portion of the site to expose the underlying bedrock.