Bellechasse workshop

An urban workshop took place in 2008 to reimagine the Bellechasse neighborhood, whose urban form is defined by the curve of the Canadian Pacific Rail. Historically, the railroad cuts through the forest, opening the way for civilization and development. Our project inverses that relationship, by introducing the forest as a means of regenerating disused railyards. The forest softens and humanizes the city, and provides ecological services to the contemporary city.

A hybrid building, the ‘bâtisserelle’ bridges over the railway. By stitching together the urban fabric at the point of rupture, the ‘bâtisserelle’ strengthens the actions of the urban forest.