Photographer: Steve Montpetit | ArchDaily

12 Cultural Spaces That Owe Their Power to Adaptive Reuse

Claire Brodka — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

When approaching the design of cultural spaces such as museums, performance venues, or places of research and study, architecture and design professionals often have to assemble pieces of a uniquely challenging puzzle in order to make the structure resonate with a variety of visitors and occupants. Hitting the right chord can be difficult, especially when trying to combine forms into a whole that pays respect to a building's intended use while being timeless in its universality.

Repentigny Theater / FABG

Paula Pintos — Mon, 09 May 2022 16:00:00 +0000

The new Repentigny Theatre is the result of an architectural competition aimed at offering patrons a variable configuration room with 350 seats for various cultural activities, while also providing a prominent space for classical music. The project completes a civic ensemble called Repentigny Cultural Space, conceived and developed at the heart of the municipality.

McGill University Power Plant / FABG

Paula Pintos — Mon, 17 May 2021 10:00:00 +0000

McGill University needed a new building to house three 1.5 MW emergency facilities, generators that will protect research activities in the event of a power outage. The McGill University thermal power plant and the Wong, Rutherford, Administration, and Leacock pavilions are powered by a single emergency generator located in the Ferrier building in the immediate vicinity of the boiler room. This presents risks that should be limited by Housing New generators in separate spaces in the immediate vicinity.

Verdun Auditorium / FABG

Paula Pintos — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 02:00:00 +0000

The major transformation of the Verdun auditorium and the Denis-Savard Arena is a project to completely rebuild the Denis-Savard arena and revalue the historic architecture of the auditorium by peeling off its metal envelope while modernizing the interior of the complex.

Canada F1 Grand Prix New Paddock / FABG

Paula Pintos — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 17:00:00 +0000

As part of a renewal agreement for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, the city of Montreal had to replace the existing temporary structures with a larger permanent building that would more adequately meet the needs of the event. The new paddock includes garages for the teams, offices for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the promoter, a lounge area for 5,000 people, and a Multimedia Center for journalists and broadcasters. All furniture and equipment are shipped from abroad and installed for the duration of the event.

On Recycled Architecture: 12 Proposals to Promote Adaptive Reuse

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 05:30:00 +0000

When reflecting on recycling, sustainability, measures to take, and innovative technological solutions, one cannot help but think that there are also familiar approaches that should be taken into consideration. In fact, when examining the impact of the built environment on the climate, one notes that in many countries, 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built. The most effective form of sustainability may, therefore, be saving energy by eliminating or minimizing new constructions, and by avoiding the demolition of existing structures.

Loft Duvernay / BOOM TOWN

Andreas Luco — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 02:00:00 +0000

Atelier BOOM-TOWN took advantage of the redevelopment of this loft located in an industrial building near the Atwater Market in Montreal, Quebec, to make a second transformation of this former factory, converted into a dwelling project in the 1980s. The new development decompartmentalizes the space to better appreciate the original volume with its two large masonry walls, steel structure and high ceilings.

De La Canardière Residence / BOOM TOWN

Cristobal Rojas — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

This residence was designed to enable a sister and brother to meet as a family on special occasions and to unwind in contact with nature. This project sprouted along the shores of a lake up in the Laurentians in a wooded area with a significantly consistent slope. This elevation, which offers a bird’s eye view of the lake, is the backbone for the development of this architectural concept—grasping hold of the land through the blending of two areas intersecting one another. The parcelling out of its shapes made its integration with the landscape possible. Its establishment forms part of a circuit throughout a site where paths extend internally, creating views, such as observation posts towards the surrounding landscape.

10 Incredible Works of Architecture Photographed in Fall: The Best Photos of the Week

María Francisca González — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

September 22nd marked the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. This season of the year is excellent for architectural photography due to the effects of nature, which delights us with wonderful red and orange foliage. To mark the beginning of this season, we have created a selection of 10 works captured in fall by prominent photographers such as Francisco Nogueira, Jorge López Conde, and Steve Montpetit.

Joliette Art Museum / FABG

Cristobal Rojas — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Today the Musée d’art de Joliette is recognized as Quebec’s most important regional art museum. While pursuing the objectives of conservation, dissemination and research established over half a century ago by its founders, the Musée continues to expand its permanent collection, which currently comprises some 8,500 works held in four collections: Canadian art, European art, contemporary art and archaeology.

Rosenberry Residence / Les architectes FABG

Daniela Cardenas — Wed, 18 May 2016 09:00:00 +0000

This residence located on a large wooded lot near Sutton in the Eastern Townships region is conceived as a bi-generational family cottage for a financier now based in Asia and his parents still living in Montreal sharing it for family holidays in summer and winter.

House in Saint-Simeon / Architecture Casa

Daniela Cardenas — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Constructed directly on the rocky terrain, along the St. Lawrence River in the Charlevoix region, residence Panorama is a space in harmony with the surroundings. The foundation concept was to sit the construction on parallel concrete blades, so that the water can naturally flow underneath the building.

Mont-Laurier Multifunctional Theater / FABG

Karen Valenzuela — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 08:00:00 +0000

Located in the Laurentian ountains, 250 kilometers northwest of Montreal, Mont-Laurier is a small town where the forest industry still plays a centralrole despite a declining demand for lumber. The building site is located on the southern embankment of the Lievre River between the cathedral and the public school.

Balnea Pavilion / Blouin Tardif Architectes

Cristian Aguilar — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 01:00:00 +0000

In the heart of the Eastern Townships, perched on a mountainside and overlooking a nature reserve of breathtaking beauty lies BALNEA. Health and wellness, gourmet food, yoga, relaxation, sports, massages, rituals baths: BALNEA reinvents the art of living by creating a stunning experience for all the senses. Spa BALNEA’s new reception building, constructed on piles, is nestled unobtrusively in the forest, where it is the hub linking the facility’s existing buildings via outdoor walkways. The resulting new walking routes give clients a more private path through the site. Special attention was paid to preserving trees and the natural surroundings.

Fournitures Select / Blouin Tardif Architectes

Diego Hernández — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Situated in an industrial sector near Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Airport and intersecting highways, this commercial building stands out for its efficient architecture, simple forms, and colourful envelope. Fournitures Sélect specializes in the sale, rental, and maintenance of equipment used in post-damage restoration; it also provides training on this equipment. The building includes a showroom, customer service counters, a classroom, offices, a repair workshop, and a warehouse.

Conversion of Mies van der Rohe Gas Station / FABG

Victoria King — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Nun’s Island is part of the Hochelaga archipelago located immediately southwest of Montreal. It’s urbanization followed the opening of the Champlain bridge in 1962 under an ambitious master plan carried out by Metropolitan Structures, a real estate giant who had built numerous projects in Chicago with the collaboration of Mies van der Rohe. The new community included three high rise apartment buildings by Mies office and it led, in 1966, to a commission from Standard Oil to design a prototypical gas station.

Theatre La Licorne / FABG

Kritiana Ross — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The new building of Théâtre la Licorne like the theater company that runs it , La Manufacture, has a strong bond with its surrounding area. It tends to communicate with the city and reflects the type of theater that it produces: straightforward and urban. Aesthetic choices made during the design phase also reflects the idea of "manufacture": Simplicity of form and the use of raw materials: glass, metal, concrete, brick... Apparent structure, ventilation ducts and plumbing. Elements borrowed from industrial buildings: cable trays, concrete floors...

Complexe sportif de l'Assomption / FABG

Nico Saieh — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

L'Assomption College is a private High school founded in 1884 in a small town near Montreal. This college, that hosts 1250 students, has become the heart of the social, cultural and sportive life of the Lanaudière region. It sponsored the construction of Hector-Charland theater, a 600 seats performance center on the Labelle boulevard and is next to the 1300 students CEGEP (general and professional college) including the regional archive center. The crumbling municipal hockey arena that was also built alongside the college needed to be replaced. It led to the decision to build a new sport center including a double gymnasium, workout and dance rehearsal rooms and a new ice rink. This project was the occasion for the municipality and the college to form a partnership for the common occupancy of the new building that led to a private funding campaign that mobilized the entire community.