The Insects Life “Pollinating insects, we really owe them a lot of credit because they affect the food security of human populations across the globe by producing market garden foods such as tomatoes, strawberries, apples, and carrots,” says Marie-Ève Gagnon educational program officer at the Insectarium.
Montreal Insectarium’s new building is designed to incorporate innovative approaches to learning about the natural world. The museum hopes to transform the public’s relationship with insects by bringing people closer to them.
The project was designed by the architectural team of Kuehn Malvezzi, Pelletier de Fontenay, and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte Architectes, along with the landscape design firm Atelier Le Balto, after winning an international competition to design the museum in 2014.
“Opening at a pivotal moment in rethinking relationships between humans and non-human biology, the new Montreal Insectarium represents a critical new approach for natural history museums,” said Maxim Larrivée, director of the Insectarium.
The design concept was rooted in the idea of an authentic fusion between architecture and nature and was informed by a detailed analysis of science museums, orange groves, greenhouses, and other buildings related to the natural world. According to the architecture of Kuehn Malvezzi, the project attempts to show the destructive history of this conceptual separation between humans and other forms of natural life.
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 – 11
The Montreal Insectarium consists of three main elements. The primary component is a two- story glass building with a rectangular floor plan and a rectangular roof.
A large, light-filled nursery is located on the upper level of the main building. A walkway runs through various microclimates home to 175 species of insects and 150 different types of plants. Many of the insects, such as butterflies and caterpillars, move freely in space and can be observed without barriers.
Other spaces within the main building include a production greenhouse, a laboratory, a creative workshop, and staff areas.
In the light, plant species from the Americas and Asia provide habitats for butterflies, while caterpillars crawl along the ground. Here, the unique experience involves a winding path, an ancient architectural trick that leaves visitors wondering what’s next. The rewards are plentiful: a pair of tiny butterflies fluttering past a white orchid ,…
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