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Allez Up De Gaspé
By : Smith Vigeant Architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Interior Design
Categories : Culture, Sport & Leisure / Gym, Sports & Recreation Center : Gold Certification
Categories : Special Awards / Renovation (Before & After) : Gold Certification
The Allez Up climbing center takes root in Mile End, a former industrial district undergoing conversion. The austere facade of the former factory, preserved as it was, makes the place a secret, confidential place from the street yet it’s known to all the neighborhood’s residents. The contrast between the dull exterior walls and the modern, warm, light-filled, convivial interior gives a typical impression of the area. Between Italian cafés, fine-dining restaurants and art galleries, Allez Up captivates serious athletes as well as amateurs with a striking experience.
The designers’ objective was to create an original atmosphere, while enhancing the »underground » aspect of the sport. The building, a former window manufacturing plant, brought many challenges including the transformation from industrial vocation into a friendly, comfortable space for humans.
In collaboration with climbing wall specialists Délire, the design aimed to define diversified zones within a vast rectangular space, while providing an open, coherent whole. The existing mezzanine was renovated to maximize space and allow storage rooms and offices to be integrated into the program, in addition to offering an upstairs view of the 5-meter bouldering walls.
The designers operated a clever interplay between industrial and contemporary aesthetics.
The remnants of the old factory, the exposed concrete block wall and the existing steel beams were preserved and painted white and grey for a streamlined look. The sculptural effect of the climbing blocks thus harmonizes perfectly with the metal framework that appears to frame it.
The preserved concrete floor, adorned with a new chandelier, now reflects the light and participates in the subtle lighting effects that enliven the space while literally revealing the history of the place. On purpose, as reading elements, traces of the factory’s operation have been meticulously preserved during the concrete sealing process (old bases, equipment location).
The contrast between the old and the new is one of the most striking features of this space.
The contrast between the aerial amplitude of the factory and the intimate, sheltered nooks and crannies offered by the mezzanine contributes to the feeling of comfort. Likewise, the contrast between the industrial metal elements and the light, glossy wood lends a contemporary effect while at the same time bringing warmth.
The wood elements are a key element in the design.
The wood elements are distributed in a delicate composition between the climbing walls, the furniture and the cladding of certain elements. The reception counter, a quadrilateral that boldly unfolds to define the space, transforms into a café, then an observation area. The counter surface laminated with cherry wood slats recalls the materiality of climbing walls, the whole harmonized by subdued lighting that contributes to the enveloping atmosphere of the place.
Collaboration
