Agora Silva
location: Montreal, Canada
client: SDC Montréal centre-ville
In collaboration with uneparcelle
Photos by Raphaël Thibodeau
The Challenge
The project originated from an initiative by the SDC Montréal Centre-Ville, driven by the ambition to implement an assertive pedestrianization of the city’s core while rethinking public space in response to mineral dominance and urban heat islands. The challenge is to transform an iconic intersection, Sainte-Catherine Street and McGill College Avenue, into a vibrant, welcoming, and refreshed urban place capable of addressing both climate challenges and contemporary downtown uses.
This intervention builds on the continuity of award-winning temporary installations implemented between 2022 and 2024 in the Quartier latin and demonstrates the strength of a circular approach rooted in reuse, reinterpretation, and continuous adaptation. Conceived from the outset as a modular structure, it is composed of pixels made from durable, high-quality materials that can be reconfigured according to needs, ensuring resource efficiency, flexibility of use, and long-term durability.
The Response
Agora Silva proposes an immersive urban oasis that redefines the experience of the intersection. Deployed through 131 pixels organized into four modules, the intervention weaves together vegetation, seating, and integrated tables to create a variety of spaces conducive to pause, social interaction, and observation of the downtown environment.
Conceived as an informal and playful urban micro-forest, the installation generates a perceptible cooling effect and encourages spontaneous appropriation of the space, adapting to both everyday uses and programmed events. Agora Silva thus becomes a living, evolving framework where nature, architecture, and civic practices converge to durably transform the urban landscape.
Expertise(s)
EXPERIENCE DESIGN, DESIGN & INNOVATION, BRANDSCAPING
Market(s)