Deconstruction of the original Champlain Bridge

“A BICYCLE” is a unique handcrafted project that has a recreational, artistic, commemorative and community purpose. 

The artist will transform a 3-kg steel component from the original Champlain Bridge into a functional bicycle and a rack for six bicycles that will be used for a community cause.

“CIRCA” is an art work in a glass display that represents the life cycles of the bridge, from its design, construction and service life to its deconstruction and return to the community to help people reflect on sustainable development.

The artifact will be installed in the lobby of the downtown Montreal offices of bridge engineering firm Structura to support the company’s vision and encourage people to reflect on and discuss infrastructure sustainability.

“CONNECTÉ D’UN PONT À L’AUTRE” is an art installation that celebrates the integration of public art into the urban space while commemorating the original Champlain Bridge as a major unifying corridor that helped Brossard grow and develop. The steel components will be made into one or more outdoor art pieces at the Solar Uniquartier project in Brossard.

This project will involve building a prototype for a mixed greenhouse / animal production site on a family farm in Ange-Gardien in Montérégie.

This new concept for an agricultural building will make the animals’ living environment more natural by recovering their waste heat and gases to promote plant growth. Another goal of this technology showcase is to inspire other agricultural producers to create similar projects.

Visual artist James Kennedy will create a public multimedia sculpture called “MÉMOIRE” with integrated audio documents to bring alive the individual and collective memory of the original Champlain Bridge.

Composed of 15 vertical steel panels made from the Champlain Bridge’s chords, the sculpture will be arranged in a staggered pattern, and its perforations will create an illustration of the original Champlain Bridge.

The Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin (CSSMV) will be using components from the bridge for multiple furniture projects at schools in Brossard.  The CSSMV is very interested in using components from the original Champlain Bridge to preserve the heritage of this structure that helped develop its territory. Students in the Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS)  in welding-assembly will transform certain components to make furniture.

A plaque with a QR code will trace each component’s link to the old bridge and provide historical information about this structure.

The Table de concertation de Ville-Émard / Côte Saint-Paul is partnering with neighbourhood artist Vincent Daoust to create an art piece that will beautify and enhance this sector, which has had to put up with many nuisances from major projects, such as the construction of Hwy. 15 and work on the Turcot Interchange.

This artistic touch will repair the wounds of the past by adding beauty to the area and enhancing the sector.

“STRUCTURE POLY TRIA IA” is an innovative and creative school project that will be carried out by computer, software, industrial and civil engineering students at Polytechnique Montréal.

This artistic structure made of components from the original Champlain Bridge will house the hardware for POLY TRI IA, a computer system that detects and sorts waste using artificial intelligence.  This eco-responsible structure will make the student community aware of the importance of the 4RE (reduce, reuse, recycle and recover before eliminating).

A few pieces of steel from the original Champlain Bridge will make it possible to build a steel footbridge to connect different camps at the Dunn Memorial Scout Camp located in Elgin, Montérégie.

The footbridge will be built by volunteers from the region and the “SUNSHINE BRIDGE” project will be dedicated to Cecile Antink, a volunteer who has worked with scouts for several years.

Watchmaker and entrepreneur Steve Christensen will use the steel from the original Champlain Bridge to make unique watches.  “THE CHAMPLAIN BRIDGE WATCH” is a project that aligns perfectly with his company’s mission to reuse materials in all of its products.

This watch will be marketed across the country to let all Canadians own a small piece of the Champlain Bridge.

This residential greenhouse project will become a seamless part of its natural environment to maximize energy efficiency. The project will draw from new concepts to grow organic vegetables in the neighbourhood and reduce residents’ environmental impact.

Girders from the original Champlain Bridge will be used to create an overhead structure from which different types of fruits and vegetables can be harvested.

Surplus food from the residential greenhouse will be donated to local organizations.