Montreal's Floating Meadow Honors 21 Women, Heals City

Where a recessed roadway once divided Old Montreal from the city center, people now gather on a floating meadow that celebrates 21 remarkable women.

Design firm Lemay transformed the challenging site into Place des Montréalaises, covering the sunken highway with a gently sloping platform that welcomes visitors from every direction. The elevated square features pathways, terraces, and wide steps that double as seating, making the space accessible to everyone.

At the heart of the design, 86 planting clusters form a seasonal flower meadow. Each grouping represents one of 21 women: 14 victims of the 1989 École Polytechnique femicide and 7 Montreal pioneers including scientist Harriet Brooks, physician Jessie Maxwell-Smith, and nurse Jeanne Mance.

The plants were chosen to thrive despite limited soil depth while supporting local biodiversity. Today, vegetation covers more than half the site, creating habitat for pollinators and birds in the urban core.

A cylindrical mirror near the metro entrance bears the women's names across its reflective surface. Letters fragment into the surrounding steps, inviting visitors to touch and interact with the memorial in a personal way.

The design team planted an urban forest along the northern edge, positioned above existing railway tunnels. This green buffer creates a smooth transition from busy streets to the peaceful plaza above.

A large circular opening in the floating meadow allows a street-level elm tree to grow through the structure, reducing the platform's weight while preserving existing greenery. The opening also creates visual connections between the elevated square and the city below.

The Ripple Effect

The square does more than honor memory. It heals a physical wound in the city's fabric, reconnecting neighborhoods that were separated for decades by car infrastructure.

Wide terraces frame views of both the meadow and surrounding architecture, including a stained-glass installation at the adjacent metro station. The space accommodates informal gatherings and programmed cultural events, becoming a destination rather than a place people pass through.

Lemay collaborated with artist Angela Silver, structural engineers, and a multidisciplinary team to realize the vision. Construction Génix led the building process, completing the project in early 2026.

The square shows how cities can transform infrastructure into gathering spaces that serve both ecological and social needs. By layering memorial, meadow, and meeting place into one cohesive design, Place des Montréalaises proves that urban spaces can honor the past while nurturing community for generations to come.