
Le dernier petit cochon
The beloved tale of the three little pigs is basically a parable about architecture — and the importance of material considerations within the profession. The pigs seek to build homes that will protect them from a marauding wolf, the first two using precarious straw and wood, the third erecting an indestructible brick hut. For the 2019 International Garden Festival in Grand-Métis, Quebec, Kim Pariseau of APPAREIL architecture built Le dernier petit cochon, a physical dramatization of the folktale. Visitors can easily approach the site via the grass field and wooden pathway, but the in situ– constructed tower itself — a red-brick chimney standing 5.5 metres tall on a poured-concrete base 3.3 metres in diameter — proves difficult to enter. It is accessible only via a high window reached by a cast-iron ladder. To move through the installation — with its various changes and challenges — is to experience a narrative unfolding in real time.
Project Le dernier petit cochon Location Grand-Métis, Canada Firm APPAREIL architecture (Canada) Team Kim Pariseau with Marc- Antoine Juneau Photos Félix Michaud

Presence
For Presence, at the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, artist Daan Roosegaarde transformed a gallery into an immersive, digitally mediated universe where visitors interact with their environment in unique — and often unpredictable — ways. In one room, they roll tiny luminous bulbs, which leave a trail of light on the ground. In another, they wade through a pond of digital stardust that scatters at their feet. And in yet another, they get up from the floor only to discover that their shadow has detached from their body and is still lying in repose behind them. The experience is magical, but Roosegaarde has a larger point to stress: As humans, we make a profound impression on our environment, even if the nature of that impact often evades our full understanding.
Project Presence Location Groningen, Netherlands Firm Studio Roosegaarde (Netherlands) Team Daan Roosegaarde and his team in collaboration with Sue-an van der Zijpp and Mark Wilson (Groninger Museum) Photos Studio Roosegaarde
AZ Awards 2020: Awards of Merit in Architecture / Temporary and Experiential Installations
A fairytale-inspired garden installation and an interactive museum exhibition put visitors at the centre of the action.