Catherine

Ste-Catherine St. West is a busy commercial thoroughfare in the heart of Montreal. Answering the City’s call to create a temporary urban design intervention that would mitigate four years of major roadworks, WORKSHOP proposed to bring the street to life as “Catherine.”

Catherine has Twitter and Instagram accounts which she uses to share her latest selfies, event info and construction progress. If you follow her, she will tell you about a yoga class at lunch, but also give you the bad news that water will be turned off in your building between 3-4pm.

Image showing a proposed Facebook page for Catherine

Image showing a proposed Instagram page for Catherine

Collage showing DJs and dancers on the gantry with a large crowd below

Sketch of construction lift at base of gantry

On the street itself, the main physical component of our proposal is a moveable and responsive public square that floats above the busy street on a gantry – a raised platform on wheels. Here, Catherine literally gives us a new perspective — a bird’s-eye view of urban activity and road construction.

Sketch showing potential use of Catherine's LED screen with messages and rainbows

She shares information and emotions via a large LED screen and leaves notes in hand script font to help people find their way around her construction.

Sketch showing proposed wayfinding and signage graphics

Sketch showing proposed wayfinding and signage graphics

She uses her robotic “arm” (a small grab crane) to work, dance and play.

Sketch showing potential phone-based control of the robotic arm

Sketch showing the gantry and robotic arm during different weather and times of day

WORKSHOP was a finalist in the competition. We did not win, and the project was ultimately cancelled by the incoming mayor.

Cartoon of how the proposed design would mitigate construction at an intersection

Cartoon of how the proposed design would mitigate construction

As construction continues today without any wayfinding or urban design to mitigate, it is clear how helpful Catherine could have been!

Cartoon of how the proposed design would mitigate construction at the sidewalks

Cartoon of how the proposed design would mitigate construction at the sidewalks

Cartoon of how the proposed design would mitigate construction at Square Philip

Cartoon of how the proposed design would mitigate construction in front of Christ Church Cathedral

“Catherine has her routine, but you never know what she will do next! One day you catch her sleeping through her alarm. The next day she offers a rainbow when it rains.

All these elements can be pre-programmed, or triggered by weather reports, to make her seem alive. Her warm and infectious personality gives people a reason to visit, and to return many times.”
— Helena Grdadolnik

Client: Design Montreal/Ville de Montreal
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Date: 2016
Team: Helena Grdadolnik , Elaine Chau, Thomas Petch, and David Colussi
Collaborators: La Camaraderie, Daily Tous Les Jours, Infravert, NCK Engineering

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Workshop

Catherine

Ste-Catherine St. West is a busy commercial thoroughfare in the heart of Montreal. Answering the City’s call to create a temporary urban design intervention that would mitigate four years of major roadworks, WORKSHOP proposed to bring the street to life as “Catherine.”