Megastructures (architecture)
Encyclopedia
Megastructures are an architectural concept popularized in the 1960s where a city could be encased in a single building
, or a relatively small number of buildings interconnected together.
The concept was popularized by avant-garde
architectural groups such as Archigram
.
. Place Bonaventure in Montreal is featured as an example in this book.
Place Bonaventure
was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967. Place Bonaventure
was first conceived as an exhibition hall, international trade centre, and hotel. The building covers an area of 2 ha (5 acres) and is built over 18 Canadian National Railway
tracks leading to Central Station. Place Bonaventure
is also linked to subway system and the Tour de la Bourse
(Stock Exchange Tower) through a network of underground tunnels. Until major renovation work drastically changed its appearance, Place Bonaventure was an entirely self-contained cubic structure that had few windows. Construction began in 1964 and was completed in 1967.
During Expo 67
world fair held in Montréal
, Québec
, various pavilions exhibited megastructure features, such as the USA, Netherlands and Theme pavilions, as well as Habitat '67
.
Architectural critics visiting the world fair were struck by Montréal's Grain elevator
s which, with their networks of covered conveyors belts, irresistibly evoked the images megastructures touted in experimental circles.
Montréal’s subway system
also evoked megastructures as it is directly connected to several downtown buildings which eventually evolved into the famed Underground City
.
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
, or a relatively small number of buildings interconnected together.
The concept was popularized by avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
architectural groups such as Archigram
Archigram
Archigram was an avant-garde architectural group formed in the 1960s - based at the Architectural Association, London - that was futurist, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, drawing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was solely expressed through hypothetical projects...
.
Megacity Montreal
Megacity Montreal is the title of a chapter in a book titled Megastructure: Urban Futures of the Recent Past written by architecture theoretician Reyner BanhamReyner Banham
Peter Reyner Banham was a prolific architectural critic and writer best known for his 1960 theoretical treatise Theory and Design in the First Machine Age and for his 1971 book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies...
. Place Bonaventure in Montreal is featured as an example in this book.
Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967....
was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967. Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967....
was first conceived as an exhibition hall, international trade centre, and hotel. The building covers an area of 2 ha (5 acres) and is built over 18 Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
tracks leading to Central Station. Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967....
is also linked to subway system and the Tour de la Bourse
Tour de la Bourse
La tour de la Bourse is an International Style skyscraper by Luigi Moretti and Pier Luigi Nervi at 800 Victoria Square in Montreal, Quebec, connected by the underground city to Square-Victoria Metro Station...
(Stock Exchange Tower) through a network of underground tunnels. Until major renovation work drastically changed its appearance, Place Bonaventure was an entirely self-contained cubic structure that had few windows. Construction began in 1964 and was completed in 1967.
During Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
world fair held in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, various pavilions exhibited megastructure features, such as the USA, Netherlands and Theme pavilions, as well as Habitat '67
Habitat '67
Habitat 67, or simply Habitat, is a model community and housing complex in Montreal, Canada designed by Israeli–Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. It was originally conceived as his master's thesis in architecture at McGill University and then built as a pavilion for Expo 67, the World's Fair held...
.
Architectural critics visiting the world fair were struck by Montréal's Grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
s which, with their networks of covered conveyors belts, irresistibly evoked the images megastructures touted in experimental circles.
Montréal’s subway system
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
also evoked megastructures as it is directly connected to several downtown buildings which eventually evolved into the famed Underground City
Underground city, Montreal
Montreal's Underground City is the set of interconnected complexes in and around Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
.