Concours d'idées pour la reconstruction et la réutilisation de l'église Saint-Paul d'Aylmer / Ideas Competition for Reconstructing and Reusing St. Paul's Church in Aylmer
2009
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada- Religious structures
- Building
- Christian religious buildings
After an arson attack on June 11, 2009, only the exterior stone walls remain of St. Paul's Church in Aylmer, completed in 1894 by architects Louis-Zéphirin Gauthier and Victor Roy. The St. Paul's fabrique council now wishes to rebuild "a new modern building within the stone walls of the original structure". The organization wished to maintain the same size and exterior silhouette, while modernizing the interior to meet not only the religious needs of the institution, but also the social functions required by the growing population of Aylmer.
Aware that the future of the church is closely linked to an opening towards new vocations, the competition launched by the St. Paul's parish council is first and foremost a competition of ideas. The organizers sought to diversify the use of the new building by adding, for example, a community hall or a library, which would allow access to government subsidies, since the funds of the parish church were not sufficient for the reconstruction. The competition therefore calls on architects working in history, ethnography, development and urban planning to propose an architectural solution, but also to find the necessary funding for the reconstruction.
The organizers of this competition are looking for a project that is "completely innovative, that could serve as an example or model for similar projects in Quebec, if not in Canada".
Here are some of the criteria sought:
- A concept that would combine heritage and history with technological innovation and ecology,
- A project that could adequately satisfy the religious needs of the Saint-Paul d'Aylmer parish while meeting, among other things, much broader community and cultural needs that would bring together the entire community,
- A COMBINING project,
- A project that would naturally be feasible depending on the resources and programs available and, to this end, the participating firms will have to propose not only architectural concepts but also serious avenues for financing.
Emphasizing the diversification of uses, respect for heritage and financing, the spokesperson for the Saint-Paul parish council reminds us that "it would be ridiculous for the City of Gatineau to allow the demolition of Saint-Paul Church and that in 10 years, when the population of the Aylmer sector will have reached 40,000 people, it will need a multifunctional building the size of the current church.
(From competition program)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Aware that the future of the church is closely linked to an opening towards new vocations, the competition launched by the St. Paul's parish council is first and foremost a competition of ideas. The organizers sought to diversify the use of the new building by adding, for example, a community hall or a library, which would allow access to government subsidies, since the funds of the parish church were not sufficient for the reconstruction. The competition therefore calls on architects working in history, ethnography, development and urban planning to propose an architectural solution, but also to find the necessary funding for the reconstruction.
The organizers of this competition are looking for a project that is "completely innovative, that could serve as an example or model for similar projects in Quebec, if not in Canada".
Here are some of the criteria sought:
- A concept that would combine heritage and history with technological innovation and ecology,
- A project that could adequately satisfy the religious needs of the Saint-Paul d'Aylmer parish while meeting, among other things, much broader community and cultural needs that would bring together the entire community,
- A COMBINING project,
- A project that would naturally be feasible depending on the resources and programs available and, to this end, the participating firms will have to propose not only architectural concepts but also serious avenues for financing.
Emphasizing the diversification of uses, respect for heritage and financing, the spokesperson for the Saint-Paul parish council reminds us that "it would be ridiculous for the City of Gatineau to allow the demolition of Saint-Paul Church and that in 10 years, when the population of the Aylmer sector will have reached 40,000 people, it will need a multifunctional building the size of the current church.
(From competition program)
(Unofficial automated translation)