The consortium formed by ADHOC Architectes and MESSIER designers presents the new souvenir boutique of the Montreal Biodôme. The mandate given by Espace pour la vie (the city of Montreal) was to renovate the 2,100 ft2 boutique to revive the user experience of the space, increase traffic, and stimulate sales. The proposed interior design communicates Espace pour la vie’s mission and contributes to visitors’ experience of the unique identity of the Biodôme while proposing a furniture arrangement that can adapt to the evolving needs of the client to ensure the sustainability of the installation.  

"Espace pour la vie is very proud of the new Biodôme boutique, created by Adhoc Architectes in collaboration with MESSIER designers. These talented professionals have demonstrated creativity and innovation all while respecting the surrounding architectural framework and spirit of place. They were profoundly attentive to and respectful of our operational needs, and these personal qualities make all the difference in a project. A big thank you!"

- Julie Jodoin, Director, exploitation - Espace pour la vie 

The challenge of creating a boutique that culminates an impressive museum tour 

Opened to the public in 1992, the Biodôme is located in the old Vélodrome used for the Olympic Games of summer 1976. The building is characterized by the omnipresence of its imposing concrete structure and generous fenestration. As part of its vast Migration project, Espace pour la vie wished to redesign each of their spaces. Nestled inside the new towering white screens that weave through the framework of the building, the Biodôme boutique is located at the end of the museum promenade. It must therefore communicate a coherency with the museum installations but also demarcate itself. The role of the boutique is thus to conclude visitors’ journeys through the museum while stimulating their imagination. The solution: using the Biodôme’s own DNA as inspiration. 

A living boutique: a renewable experience to sustainably increase the realtor’s sales today and in the future 

To be able to create the most frequented commercial space of Espace pour la vie, the consortium of ADHOC Architectes and MESSIER designers proposed an adaptable boutique, equipped to anticipate change as well as fluctuating demands. Like a living organism capable of adapting and responding to its environment, this living boutique will evolve with the passing seasons and years. The modular arrangement will allow the boutique manager to adapt their product line to respond to the variable number of visitors and to changing clientele preferences. This approach pays tribute to Espace pour la vie’s most important teachings: the adaptive evolution between wildlife and its natural environment in perpetual change. 

An experience of identity: biomimicry at the heart of the creative process 

The concept stems from a refined geometric and formal research. While investigating the Biodôme’s ecosystems, the consortium identified sources of inspiration allowing them to develop a narrative framework unique to the Biodôme boutique. The study of the living world drove the design team to research organization at the cellular level, specifically on the recurrence of certain structures and their forms. Several natural phenomena of different scales, like the creation of cells in a beehive, the erosion of rock formations, and the formation of basalt columns provided formal inspiration for the project. 

When one thinks of cellular organization, one thinks naturally of the cell: the fundamental, biological unit of structure in every living being capable of autonomous reproduction. The Biôdome being the “House of Life”, it was fitting for the team to draw a formal parallel between the natural cell and the module. The design approach rests thus on the creation of simple elements (the cells) that can be spatially arranged and connected to construct complex modules. These modules, once combined, respond to the operational and functional need of showcasing products and defining space. 

Exhaustive research on natural forms and cellular organization led the architects and designers to formal discoveries and subsequent geometric explorations to determine which forms would be the most optimal and versatile. From the hexagon to the dodecahedron to the stucoid, the hexagonal frustum was finally chosen for this project’s particular needs.

Durable furniture for a minimalist boutique that emphasizes the essential 

The furniture modules consist of three base elements to which accessories can be added. This concept allows for an almost infinite number of compositions and reconfigurations of the elements by moving, rotating, and assembling them in different ways. The configuration is thus able to adapt to the evolution of the boutique’s needs depending on changing sales and products. 

The three base elements each have a different size and are painted a specific tint of white. Carefully chosen, the three tints of white break the uniformity of industrial production and express the natural variation of colors found in geological formations and in nature. 

The main material used for the fabrication of the modules is laser-cut, folded, and welded steel covered with a heavy-duty baked-on polymer paint. Oak was favored for the wooden elements. These materials were chosen for their exceptional durability and minimal environmental footprint. 

The space is minimalist in order to emphasize sustainable products and ensure smooth customer circulation. The furniture can accommodate toys, plush toys, jewelry, sweets, books, and clothing, which have all been carefully selected by the Biodôme team.

A budgetary feat: Reduction of project costs thanks to a judicious choice 

Conscious of designing a public project without cost overruns in order to respect taxpayers, ADHOC Architectes and MESSIER designers proposed a different approach to tendering which, while respecting the established rules in all respects, has made it possible to save nearly 25% on the overall cost of manufacturing and installing the project compared to the initially estimated budget. Rather than proceeding with a simple tendering process for a general contractor who would take charge of all the wood fabrication, metal module fabrication, assembly, and installation, the design team proposed to adapt the call for tenders process by splitting it up according to the expertise of each of the manufacturers and the sub-contractors. This made it possible to facilitate follow-ups and to maximize client savings, all while guaranteeing very high-quality work. In a world where cynicism about cost overruns in projects has become commonplace, the design team demonstrated otherwise while also setting a high standard for the quality of design and manufacturing. 

Technical Sheet

Client: Ville de Montréal, Espace pour la vie

Categorie: renovation and interior design

Usage: museum boutique

Year built: 2020

Area: 2,100 ft2

Address: 4777 Avenue Pierre de Coubertin, Montréal

Budget: 260,000$

Cost: 200,000$

In consortium with MESSIER designers

Project manager: Gestion BGC

Metal furniture fabricator: Métal CN

About ADHOC Architectes

ADHOC architecte is a creative architecture firm born of the meeting between two architects with two unique but complementary personalities. United by their passion for architecture, their shared vision, and their entrepreneurial fiber, they decided to combine forces and founded ADHOC architectes, an innovative firm offering services in architecture, interior design, and urban design. This award-winning company has been recognized by the Grand Prix du design in 2018 with the Prix de la relève. 

Their main objective is to highlight intrinsic values specific to each environment and valorize them with an innovative architecture that responds to context with a poetic gesture in order to propose creative concepts inscribed in the brand experiences they accompany. Evocative of the Latin phrase, ad hoc signifies “for this”. The name of the firm is thus a symbol of its values. Therefore forming an ADHOC team means designing an organizational work system outside of traditional structures with the goal of solving problems specific to each individual project and site. Reflecting on an innovative practice with many facets specific to ADHOC architectes, this transversal approach aims to maintain an undeniable level of quality and to create a multidisciplinary and collaborative research laboratory. 

About MESSIER designers

Since 1999, Messier designers Materializes the potential™ of organizations by creating value throughout the brand experience. The team uses the power of multidisciplinary collaboration to address the main points of contact of a brand with the goal of generating maximum benefits for all key stakeholders. They are conscious that we hold a privileged position: we have the opportunity to design the world in which we want to live for us, and with you.

Innovation exists first and foremost for human beings. Through empathetic research, they allot humans' particular importance for imagining, creating, and offering experiences that can redefine organizations in an era of constant evolution. This is why they have assembled a team that can adapt to every unique mission, then add the necessary expert resources from an already dedicated group of specialists in order to shape each project around you, your clientele, and your needs. 

Whatever the challenge, the MESSIER designers team will find innovative solutions to take each project to launch while respecting the constraints whether functional, ecological, aesthetic, financial, or other. It is this diversity of projects that allows them to tackle all types of projects in order to make organizations more innovative, performative, and profitable for all.