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RECEPTION PAVILION OF THE QUEBEC NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
LOCATION Quebec City, Quebec ARCHITECTS Provencher_Roy | GLCRM Architectes
Provencher_Roy and GLCRM Architects’ reception pavilion for the Parliament Building of the National Assembly of Quebec is a quiet, but transformative addition that revolutionizes how citizens engage, experience, and participate in their democracy. The original Parliament— a Second Empire stone edifice designed by Eugène-Étienne Taché—is an important civic icon, presenting stately beauty and an iconic facade. But its monumental style and opaque materiality made the building forbidding, and its lack of public space made it inaccessible to citizens. In these ways, the building undercut the democratic ideals it stood for: participation in government, openness, and transparency.
The team approached the pavilion as an opportunity for change, opening the building to the people of Quebec and granting them their rightful place at the National Assembly. With sweeping spaces for public gatherings and events and a new transparent entrance, the pavilion creates an open, inclusive, and lively hub that invites diverse communities to gather at the heart of their government. As an embodiment of Québécois civic ideals and as a community anchor, the pavilion has become a place of pride for citizens and a destination for international visitors.
To achieve this while deferring to the historic building, the team tucked the reception pavilion beneath the Parliament Gardens and added a transparent entrance nestled between two existing curved staircases. This maintains the original central axis and symmetry, and preserves sightlines to the facade and gardens. Building underground also offered simple, cost-effective ways to incorporate the robust security measures required in government buildings. The approach has become a precedent for similar buildings in Canada.
The heart of the building is the Agora: a forum that welcomes community members for public events and encourages participation in democracy. In form and function, the Agora references the ancient Athenian Pnyx, the assembly place where citizens of the world’s first democracy debated and voted. Since opening, the Agora has hosted events like the Financière des Professionnels Conference for women in finance, Université Laval symposia, and the Quebec City Film Festival—as well as being a setting for public gatherings such as a vigil for the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre.
A spiralling ramp connects the Agora to ground level. A mural along the ramp celebrates Quebec’s symbolic milestones, showcasing figures in modern Québécois history, including Indigenous and women leaders. An oculus lets in natural light, making the space feel bright and welcoming. The oculus also frames a view of Parliament, incorporating the site’s heritage with the interior experience. White floors and ceilings further brighten the space and are accented with wood walls. This materiality makes for a contemporary environment in a universal design language that complements the historic Parliament.
Building underground minimized the project’s environmental impact and allowed over 91% of construction waste to be recycled, while saving on construction and maintenance costs, and ensuring the longevity of the structures.
:: Jury :: The jury noted that this project highlighted a capacity to add value in a reserved way. The long promenade to access the building ends up in a large gathering space, creating a new agora that is illuminated with natural light coming from a contemporary oculus. This reconnects with traditional public building typologies. The quality of interior spaces and the integration of construction systems in perforated panels create seamless surfaces.
CLIENT ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE DU QUÉBEC | ARCHITECT TEAM PROVENCHER_ROY—CLAUDE PROVENCHER (FIRAC); MATTHIEU GEOFFRION (MIRAC), NICOLAS DEMERS-STODDART (MIRAC), ÉMILIE BANVILLE, DANIEL LEGAULT, MAÏDA BEYLERIAN, SAMI BOUZOUITA, MARILINA CIANCI, MAXIME GIGUÈRE, FANETTE MONTMARTIN, ANDRES MORENO, NORMAND DESJARDINS, TRISTAN LEAHY, NEIL ASPINALL, ZOEY CAI, KARIM DURANCEAU, MAXIME DUVAL-STOJANOVIC, SUZANNE ESSIAMBRE, CHARLES-ALEXANDRE LEFEBVRE, PIERRE LUSSIER, FRANCK MURAT. GLCRM ARCHITECTS—MARC LETELLIER (FIRAC), FRANÇOIS BÉCOTTE, MAXIME TURGEON, SHIRLEY GAGNON, LOUIS-XAVIER GADOURY, JOCELYN MARTEL, RAPHAËL HAMELIN, RÉAL ST-PIERRE, VINCENT LAVOIE, SUZANNE CASTONGUAY | ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL CIMA + | STRUCTURAL/CIVIL WSP CANADA | CONTRACTOR POMERLEAU | CODE GLT+ | ELEVATOR CPAI SOLUCORE | ACOUSTICS ACOUSTEC | MULTIMEDIA GOMULTIMÉDIA | SECURITY CSP INC. | BUDGET $43 M | OCCUPANCY MAY 2019 OPPOSITE A spiralling ramp leads from the transparent entrance down to the Agora. The interplay of light and colour imparts a museumlike quality to the space, with blue and red referring to the National Assembly’s Salon bleu and Salon rouge. Deferring to the historic building, the reception pavilion is built beneath the Parliament Gardens, with a transparent entrance nestled between two existing curving staircases; the heart of the addition is the Agora, seen here at the building’s opening with political party leaders from Quebec. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT A bird’s eye view of the site; a perforated wood mural along the ramp celebrates Quebec’s symbolic milestones and showcases figures in modern Québécois history.
