The roof of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium has never been considered a blessing but a new initiative seeks to give the lid a positive purpose after it gets replaced.
Management of the provincial government arm that oversees the Olympic Park facilities issued an invitation to “design and architecture professionals and students from around the world” to come up with a recycling or reuse proposal, even an art installation, that could give the discarded structure a good purpose.
The best proposals for the 42,000-square-metres roof membrane and 12 kilometres of cables will be awarded prizes ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. Hopefuls must register by the end of May and submit their idea by June 11.
The Olympic Stadium, designed by French architect Roger Taillebert, was initially intended to be covered with a retractable roof when it opened in 1976. However, after it was finally installed in 1987, the roof proved unable to withstand heavy winds and was only opened 88 times. The roof remained permanently closed until it was replaced 11 years later with the current roof that is now being discarded.
Provincial government authorities earmarked $870 million earlier this year to replace the second roof as well as the surrounding ring in a project expected to take four years. The new roof is expected to last 50 years. The province has rejected the idea of demolishing the stadium, as they argue $2 billion cost is prohibitive.