Our approach is based on a reading of the built environment of the historic district of Old Quebec in the light of landscape and geological notions. Nearby, the strong presence of the St-Jean Gate and the defensive system of the Fortifications of Quebec reminds us of the dual nature of these constructions which are both architecture and landscape. Although the surrounding buildings present various styles and periods, their common denominator rests on a strong relationship to the mineral material as well as an architectural composition in horizontal strata. This reading of the city in stacked strata transcends the ages, so much so that we find it in all the neighboring buildings. There is thus a horizontal framework out of time that can serve as an anchor for the realization of a contemporary project in continuity with the old fabric. The preserved elements of the YMCA reinforce this continuity with the urban context and serve as a counterpoint to the simplicity of the hall and its smooth skin. By its scale and importance, the hall acts as the core of the project.
It is a precious object within these geological strata.
The broadcasting room is a flexible space with variable geometry. In its neutrality, it offers a potential of transformability. It has no precise image in time, it changes constantly. The memory of the place will be forged with time and the shows that are its true reason for being.
Along the rue des Glacis, a tension is established between the scale and purity of the master entity of the broadcasting room and the preserved elements of the existing building.
The formal and material resolution comes from the complementarity between these opposing universes, one with a rich and ancient material facture, that of the YMCA, and that of a simple, smooth and reflective object forming the broadcasting room. Between these two eras, a space of dialogue is woven between the old and the new.
The public space appears in the contact between these parts. The old is superimposed on the new by its reflection in the mirrored surfaces of the room's skin. This skin allows a transition between its vast interior and the intimate scale of the existing architecture by introducing certain programmatic elements.
From the entrance on St-Jean, the hall on the first floor is enlivened by the openings in the upper floor, allowing us to appreciate the volume of the hall. This perspective leads us to the cascade of stairs that leads to the foyer. A large opening on the Glacis shelters the linear terrace of the bar/restaurant on the first floor. The foyer space first highlights the presence of the structural brick walls while bridges reach out to the volume of the room and pick up the red tone of the clay.
The interventions in the heart of the YMCA are a set of localized, meticulous operations aimed at evoking certain vanished elements. These contemporary additions recall the past. The existing brick walls are cleaned, kept bare and protected. The old wooden partitions are represented by linear lighting elements that return to their original position.
The exterior envelope on the rue des Glacis acts as a mineral skin, opaline that simply takes up the strata traced by the neighboring buildings. In continuity with this mineral density, the building proposes another minerality, more crystalline, that of glass passing from matte opaque, to reflective opaque and finally to transparent. As the original YMCA building is approached, the strata subtly slide and arrange themselves behind the existing masonry. This movement is accompanied by a progressive transparency to support the dialogue between the existing and this new architecture through a vertical and luminous void. These shifts organize a dynamic system that allows for a real architectural walk through all the floors in the facade up to the roof and its outdoor terrace. The staircase allows users to have a constant contact with the city. This vertical activity animates the glass skin. The structural elements and mullions emerge from a sloping grid, perpendicular to the sloping ground of the Rue des Glacis, creating a direct relationship to the topography of Cap Diamant. At the top of the YMCA, a terrace extends the foyer space of Studio 1. Overlooking them is the agora, a true observatory of the city, this versatile outdoor space can be used for contemplation and outdoor events.
Above the main entrance, which is very transparent, the imprint or rather the dermis of the portion of the façade that was cut away in 1948 reappears. The latter is made of colored concrete representing the red clay used to make the brick. The sign of the former Cinéma de Paris is replaced by a luminous circle in order to preserve its graphic image. On rue St-Jean, the mansard is preserved and covered with zinc while it is transformed into a singular element on rue des Glacis.
The public space appears in the tension between the old and the new created by changes in materials, reflectivity and the movement of people who constantly cross this threshold.
The progressive opacity accompanies the architectural walk on the Glacis between the old and the new but especially between the luminous exterior and the interior of the room.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
- the project stands out for the overall quality of the architecture and its volumetric design;
- the jury appreciates the quality of the proposed interior ambiances, including the treatment of the first floor and the atrium
- the layered treatment of the Glacis facade, echoing the horizontal compositional lines of the YMCA, is very elegant and sought after
- the treatment of the envelope, however, does not fit well with the image of Ex Machina, as it does not meet its signage expectations;
- the eye is a solution to camouflage the stage house which unifies the overall volumetry; the functionality is however questionable;
- the desire to reproduce the mansard roof is weakened by its treatment on the corner with the rue des Glacis, a gesture that competes with the finesse of the transparency games.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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