The Montreal Olympic Stadium Tower is undergoing a major redevelopment of its touristic and entertainment spaces to provide a unique experience with a 360-view of Montreal from the top of the tower. Visitor access is proposed at the ground floor level, via the funicular, and connecting to the rest of the Stadium as well as the wider Olympic Park. The top of the tower is being redesigned by the architects Lemay to offer three levels for visitors, including an observatory, an Eco-walk attraction, and a corporate level
In order to validate these developments, and in particular the issues of security and fire standards, Momentum conducted several analyses to evaluate the building’s capacities, as well as the management of visitor flows, in normal times and in case of evacuation.
A static analysis was first performed to evaluate the pedestrian density in public spaces, according to several scenarios in the peak hour, when the funicular is used at its peak capacity. Recommendations followed this analysis for the design of waiting areas and ticketing desks.
A second dynamic analysis, using pedestrian modelling, was undertaken to test the detailed design plans and to specify recommendations for the operation and design of the visitor areas. The Legion software was used to illustrate the pedestrian density, the waiting times at congestion points, the visitor movements on the different floors as well as the operating parameters recommended for the elevators. Potential zones for content presentation and technology deployment were identified on the plans for the future activation of internal spaces.
