Montreal Bug Museum
Imagine an enclosed space swarming with tiny, freakish beasts, crawling in every direction and emitting hideous ear-piercing screeches. This is a scene you can now experience in Montreal, where the new Insectarium offers visitors an immersive window into the complex world of small invertebrates.
Designed by Berlin-based Kuehn Malvezzi alongside Montreal offices of Pelletier de Fontenay and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte, the museum’s design seeks to transform visitors’ relationship with insects. It aims to trigger “entomophilia,” an enhanced love, respect and appreciation of the creatures. To achieve this goal, the museum has been configured as a series of experiences rather than a simple collection of exhibits.
From the outset, the visitor is oriented with a sculptural form that recalls the body of an insect. The curved glass facade is punctuated by slit-like openings that give a glimpse of the insect-filled interior. This approach is intended to create a sense of mystery and anticipation, as well as encourage curiosity.
The Insectarium’s Great Vivarium is the first curtain-wall greenhouse to receive LEED Gold certification in Quebec. Its transparent structure allows visitors to see the building’s many different systems working together to mimic the climate of Montreal. It also highlights the complexity of this artificial environment, which is home to both living and preserved insects. For more details please visit bug museum
Throughout the museum, displays promote the prodigious achievements of insects. Geared to pupils—the human kind—the exhibits translate the feats of the insect world into terms that can be understood by humans. For example, ants can drag loads 20 times their own weight; this means they could pull a piano or car.