THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA the nature of the mission they accomplished. He describes that mission as “bringing humans closer to nature.” “We had to consider a museum, a science museum, as a social catalyst,” he says. “We had to figure out how it could push forward change – change in behaviour, change in perception, and change in relationships to nature. I think that was an outstanding objective. I loved tackling those questions.” Rami also lovedconsideringhow to design for animals, which is a question that architects rarely get to consider. “We’ve been trained as architects to design for humans,” he explains. “It’s always humans at the centre of the world. Now we had to go and design for other species. That required humbleness. It required accepting that we must be educated. We had to go back to school.” “And it required letting go of the notion that we held the pencil alone,” he adds. “The pencil had to be shared with everyone at the table. We needed our biologists, our technical team, and our occupants in order to decide what was best for each species. All of a sudden we were part of an ecosystem. That was thrilling.” Also part of the project team was Bélanger Design, a locallybased team of wayfinding specialists with over 40 years’ experience. They were called upon to manage the wayfinding aspect of the new layout, and they used their ingenuity and expertise to design an orientation system that honoured the paths created by the architects and that kept visitors immersed. They worked closely with KANVA throughout the process, meeting many times to create a result that suited everyone. “That journey lasted seven years,” Rami says. “Now that we can take a step back, we can realize how it changed us – not just professionally, but personally. Professionally, we now have no fear of any complex project. Once you’ve done the Biodôme, everything else is possible. Personally, it changed how we view nature. Hopefully it inspires the same change for people when they go through the Biodôme.” Inspiring that kind of change, Rami reiterates, is his and Tudor’s ultimate goal as architects: “If you, as an architect, can participate in the bettering of society, then you know there’s a reason for what you do.”
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