As the city's 375th anniversary approaches, Montreal has announced plans to renovate two of the city's biggest tourist attractions. Large areas of the Biodome and the Insectarium are being redesigned, but neither attraction will be ready in time for the celebration.
The city is spending $45 million to renovate both museums. Initially, Quebec was to pay for the renovations but the province pulled out so the city is footing the bill.
“We believe in those two projects so we took over and make sure that these happen,” said executive committee chairman Pierre Desrochers.
The renovated Biodome won't fully reopen until 2018, and the renovated Insectarium will only open a year after that.
The architects designing the new Biodome want to create a more immersive experience.
“We're linking the human with the animal and this link is to hopefully establish some sort rethinking about our relationship,” said Rami Bebawi, an architect with Kanva, a local firm.
When the project is done, people will be in much closer contact with the animals and their environments, while the renovated Insectarium will let visitors see the world through the eyes of an insect. “Now we're going to be using more technology so people will [find it] even more fun to come,” said Desrochers.
Construction on the Biodome starts in a year. Most, if not all, of the animals will be relocated during the work. Construction at the insectarium starts in 2018.
