Place des Gens de Mer: A Strategic Gathering Place at the heart of Cap-aux-Meules

Place des Gens de Mer is situated at the heart of Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec, Canada. Acting as a public place in the area, the Place was constructed by Bourgeois Lechasseur Architects that worked under the project’s contractor Constructions des Îles. The architecture firm built the Place on the ruins of a fish processing plant which was damaged after a fire incident.

This project was intended to give a new life to this strategic site by transforming it into a gathering place for passerby. Meanwhile, the idea of today’s Place des Gens de Mer was realized to pay homage to workers at sea as what the Municipality of Magdalen Island has initiated.

Place des Gens de Mer

The Place des Gens de Mer is considered as a large project under Le Parcours Insulaire.

This public space is the first one in a series of 12 panoramic sites selected for their photogenic character, becoming their importance to the heritage of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The Place also showcases a poem by a local artist that will take you on the journey.

As for the materials used, the firm chose marine plywood and Eastern cedar due to their resistance in saline environments.

The Place’s Features

Various features of the Place were arranged on the former plant’s foundations. Each layout of the features acts as the remainder of the plant’s processing chains and long sorting tables.

Despite its strategic location which is at the center of the port zone, the Place’s surroundings are not very welcoming. That being the case, the Place was closed in on itself with an openwork wooden stockade to cover the site.

The openwork wooden stockade offers some privacy, allowing the passerby to explore a discovery path.

Meanwhile, the Place comes with a service wing, a public market zone, a belvedere, an agora, and a stage.

When you look at the docks, there are protruding and oscillating wooden counters and benches.

Via Bourgeoislechasseur