Marie-Claude Séguin
Linda Covit with CHA/M.C.Séguin
The planning of the invitation to tender was the most complex step in this project. The challenge arose not from technical difficulties related to the implementation of…
With this particular landscape architecture project, what was the most difficult issue your firm faced or the most unexpected challenge that may have influenced new thought and unique approaches in the project?
The planning of the invitation to tender was the most complex step in this project. The challenge arose not from technical difficulties related to the implementation of the project but from the concensus required amongst all involved parties: the consultants, the city, the contractor, the subcontractors, and the craftsmen. This approach was very unusual and numerous discussions were required to reach acceptable solutions for all parties. Mediation skills were a must!
In general, do you feel that the role of the landscape architect is changing on similar building types? Did this project expand or evolve your role as a landscape architect in any way?
The realization fo Give Peace a Chace project may not have helped to expand or evolve the role of the landscape architect but, it offered visibility. This project demonstrated to all the ability of the landscaoe architect to manage large scale projects. One must understand that the artistic intervention of Give Peace a Chance was integrated in a larger project, that of the redevelopment of one area of the park (Peel Entrance) which was under the management of a multidiscilinary team of which I was a member. Our thorough knowledge of the environment was a definite advantage and allowed the team of landscape architects to maintain their sights on the global picture and to ensure that all interventions were in total respect of the vision of the park conceptor: Frederick Law Olmsted.
How is your installation or project possible today in a way that it may not have been in the past, and how have current trends or thoughts in landscape architecture inspired new creative solutions?
It is inacurate to think that Give Peace a Chance was created exclusively by a cooperation between the landscape architect and the artist. The project required the participation and expertise of other professionals. Let us underline the contribution of the engineers in the fields of hydrology, structure and forestry. The multidisciplinary team approach should not only be a tendency but should become an integral part of our planning and development process. I strongly believe in this approach and regularly promote it. The environmental challenges that we will face will encourage us to adopt creative solutions and to achieve this goal, we must devise together as a team.
In the context of this project, how is your office and your design process being influenced by current thoughts in academic curricula? In turn, are your current projects and processes guiding the ongoing reformulation and development of academic curricula?
Give Peace a Chance was not the first project alliance between landscape architects and artists in Montreal. The Direction des grands parcs et du verdissement of the City of Montreal had managed and completed two previous projects: Square Dalhousie and Square des Frères Charon. At the time, the landscape architect was employed by the City of Montreal. Give peace a Chance was the first project with cooperation from landscape architects and artists not employed by the City of Montreal. Upcoming projects will allow the landscape architect to confirm his or her talent in developing multidisciplinary projects and give new positioning and visibility to the profession.