28-09-2015

Bota Bota Gardens by MU Architecture

MU Architecture,

Quebec, Canada,

According to the NY Wall Street Journal, one of the major attractions in the city of Montreal are the Bota Bota Gardens in the heart of the old city of Montreal next to the port on the Saint Lawrence River: a true oasis in an urban environment providing relaxation and greenery.



  1. Blog
  2. Sustainable Architecture
  3. Bota Bota Gardens by MU Architecture

Bota Bota Gardens by MU Architecture According to the NY Wall Street Journal, one of the major attractions in the city of Montreal are the Bota Bota Gardens in the heart of the old city of Montreal next to the port on the Saint Lawrence River: a true oasis in an urban environment providing relaxation and greenery.



What did trend architects from the Canadian MU Architecture firm in Montreal do when they were commissioned to create a small paradise in the centre of the city? They did just that - true to their motto “Well adapted projects arise from dialogue and creativity”. The Bota Bota Spa, which is on a boat docked on the Saint Lawrence River wanted to extend onto an area of the mainland, so the site is between it, the elevated railway to the south and the tall grain silos in the port. 





It would seem a very unusual position for a busy urban oasis but it is actually the industrial context which makes the Bota Bota Gardens design so unique in its kind. 





MU Architecture had to consider many factors for their design solutions, amongst which the inadequate accessibility for heavy duty trucks to the area. The idea of using old containers as extensions to the existing Spa is not only an option of reuse and convenient logistics but also evokes the theme of the ship. The impact of the square blocks is softened by large green cantilevered roofs which are also decorated with geometrical incisions creating beautiful patterns with shade and sunlight and emphasise the feeling of being a “green oasis”. 





However,  Bota Bota Gardens is not only “green” to look at, it is also green to its core since the architects from MU Architecture have applied “green building” standards from the positioning of the swimming pools and containers to the usage of prefabrication for various elements, and again from the instalment of a state-of-the-art geothermal system for underfloor heating - also for external areas to be used the whole year - which produces ice from the energy recuperated from waste water to the choice of building materials. 



The Bota Bota Gardens project is a great success with the general public, tourists and citizens and is an exemplary illustration of reclaiming an underexploited part of the city which, alternatively, has revealed its fascinating charm thanks to the architects' intelligent development concept. 

Christiane Bürklein

Year: 2015
Localisation: Montreal old port, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Client: Bota Bota (Daniel Émond et Geneviève Émond)
Architecture: MU Architecture (Jean-Sébastien Herr, Charles Côté, Matthew Schmid, Sabrina Charbonneau) http://architecture-mu.com/
Photos: Fany Ducharme
Consultants:
Bota Bota :David Trinque, Shella-Eve Simard
GLT+, Project Managers: Jasmin Martel, Simon Poirier
Kanco Steel Structure: Daniel Gouin
Girard-Hébert, Swimming pool engineer: Pierre Girard
Thanks to v2com

×
×

Stay in touch with the protagonists of architecture, Subscribe to the Floornature Newsletter