Atelier Big City, Cimaise win competition for children’s theatre in Sherbrooke

[from Canadian Architect, 15 October 2018:]

Montreal architects Atelier Big City (principals Howard Davies [Clifford C.F. Wong Professor of Practice], Randy Cohen, and Anne Cormier [all B.Arch. 1982]) and Cimaise have won a competition to design the new “Lieu de diffusion spécialisé danse, théâtre pour l’enfance et la jeunesse de Sherbrooke” in Quebec. The new children’s theatre will be located in the historic centre of Sherbrooke, a major city of 140,000 people located approximately 160 kilometres to the east of Montreal.

The 1,700 sq-metre theatre will be a key part of the revitalization of Wellington Street, Sherbrooke’s main shopping and commercial artery. The new theatre is seen as a welcoming pavilion, which aims to be both aesthetically distinct and in dialogue with the existing CAsJB Building, which was designed by Montreal’s Saucier + Perrotte Architectes.

In Atelier Big City and Cimaise’s winning design, the physical connection between the two pavilions is kept to a minimum so as to respect both as separate identities and in order to minimize the impact of construction on the CAsJB. Both buildings will also have separate addresses and animate a new public space adjacent to Wellington Street. This exterior plaza will extend the foyer of the Children’s Theatre outwards, providing a new space for outdoor performances, children’s play and other events.

Atelier Big City forms part of a winning design-build consortium for the project, which also includes architects Cimaise, as well as Pageau Morel et associés, Groupe EGP (principal Tom Egli, a course lecturer at the School), and Vinci Consultants.

A closer look at the Atelier Big City and Cimaise design concept can be found here.