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Grand Théâtre de Québec
By : Lemay + Atelier 21
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 14th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Public Building / Cultural Building : Gold Certification
Categories : Special Award / Heritage Conservation, Restoration & Presentation : Platinum Winner
Prized for its brutalist architecture by Victor Prus and historic, sculptural mural by Jordi Bonet, the Grand Théâtre de Québec is a prized cultural icon that embodies the waning days of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution. At the time of our firm’s involvement, the need to restore and protect the building’s crumbling outer shell had become pressing.
Naturally, any alteration to the architecture had to be severely limited; the building’s fragility, and the inability to directly access the concrete anchors, were additional major challenges; and the project had to be fast-tracked, with work on the building proceeding during normal daytime and evening theatre operations. The transdisciplinary team developed corrective measures for the building envelope’s many defects and weaknesses, and produced a radical, innovative solution: adding a transparent, immaterial protective layer to the solid main wall.
The glass casing is a delicate response to a complex problem. The new skin discreetly and sensitively protects, and also articulates, the building. It shields the Grand théâtre from the elements by creating a secondary, tempered envelope housing a low-flow heat recovery and thermal mass system. The system is both energy-efficient and economical. Beyond its primary function, the new layer now acts as an extension of the original building it protects, using the same finely tuned structural logic and composition.
Collaboration
