Saint Joseph's Oratory unveils designs for the Basilica's new dome and museum (RENDERINGS)

The Saint Joseph Oratory of Mont Royal is a Montreal landmark that can be seen from all over the city and off the island.

It’s located on Mont Royal’s Westmount Summit and is the largest church in Canada.

In December, the Oratory launched an architectural competition to design the Basilica’s new dome and museum space.

The winners of the design competition were announced today:

Atelier TAG and Architecture49
SDK and Associates Inc.
Stantec Expert-Conseil Ltd.
GSM Project
CS Design

The proposed design features a pathway through the museum and inside the dome. The path will continue to the very top of the Basilica’s dome giving guests access to Montreal’s highest outlook and a 360° panoramic view of the entire island of Montreal and its horizons.

At a press conference this morning at the Oratory Basilica, jury president, architect and UQAM professor, Carlo Carbone spoke about the winning design team:

“The winning team stood out for their in-depth analysis of the project and the ingenuity of their proposed concept. They had a clear, well thought out and pertinent approach. The jury found that they had demonstrated a particular attentiveness to the needs of Saint Joseph’s Oratory, with their project demonstrating respect for the existing infrastructure and an emphasis on the presentation of the sites.”

The next phase of the shrine’s major development includes the construction of a new welcome centre as well as landscape work and new lighting which will begin in 2018 and last two years.

The final phase of reconstruction will cover this architectural design and is slated to start in 2020. The entire project is estimated to cost $80 million.

Showcasing the inside of the Basilica’s dome and creating an observatory at the top of the building responds to the requests expressed by visitors and will add a spectacular element to a building that is already a major attraction to both tourists and locals.

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