Architects: Lemay, Atelier 21
Year: 2021
Photography: Stéphane Groleau
Lead Architects: Lemay / Eric Pelletier
Project Manager: Atelier 21 / Christian Bernard
Client: Société du Grand Théâtre de Québec
City: Québec
Country: Canada
Grand Théâtre de Québec Restoration is a collaboration project by Lemay and Atelier 21 in Québec. Completed in 2021, it involved restoring and protecting the building’s concrete walls and a historic mural by Jordi Bonet, which had suffered damage from moisture infiltration. The project added a transparent glass curtain wall to the concrete structure, maintaining its brutalist architecture. The glass envelope provides an energy-efficient solution, ensuring constant interior conditions to preserve the musical instruments. This innovative restoration marks a new chapter for Quebec culture, reflecting the original design by Victor Prus.
The Grand Théâtre de Québec, celebrated for its brutalist architecture by Victor Prus and the extensive mural by Jordi Bonet, required a major intervention to restore and protect its prefabricated concrete walls and mural. Moisture infiltration had severely damaged the concrete panels and anchors, necessitating a radical solution.
Lemay and Atelier 21 devised a unique and sensitive approach by adding a transparent glass curtain wall to the concrete structure. This minimalist casing acts as an extension of the original building, maintaining its brutalist lines and artistic narrative while protecting it from the elements. The glass can appear solid or immaterial depending on the light, enhancing the building’s morphology and ensuring the concrete structure remains visible and intact.
The glass casing, designed in continuity with Victor Prus’ original structure, reflects its surroundings and serves as the main interface with the city. This secondary, tempered envelope houses a low-flow heat recovery and thermal mass system, which is both energy-efficient and economical. It ensures constant interior temperature and humidity levels, crucial for preserving the musical instruments inside, and prevents further degradation of the external concrete panels and mural.
Construction systems were custom-designed, involving a delicate steel structure and various components that required close collaboration among architects, engineers, construction specialists, and manufacturers. This teamwork produced an entirely new architectural solution, heralding a new era for Quebec culture.
Eric Pelletier, architect and design principal at Lemay, highlighted the challenges posed by the building’s fragility and the difficulty in accessing the concrete anchors. Work proceeded during regular theatre operations, further complicating the restoration process.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: 269 René-Lévesque Boulevard East, Quebec, QC G1R 2B3, Canada
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
