Design Feature
Espace Theatre’s multi-functional space
serves local community’s needs
Les architectes FABG’s work on a theatre in Mont-Laurier blurs the lines
between experimental theatre, convention centre and concert hall.
ESPACE THEATRE is located in the small
town of Mont-Laurier, 250 km northwest
of Montreal, Canada. A local non-profit
society came up with a design brief for the
construction of a multi-purpose theatre
that must be able to accommodate a myriad
of events ranging from concerts, school
performances and plays to corporate events,
trade shows and cabarets.
Local architecture firm FABG rose to
the challenge by building a concert hall
that can be divided into three sections for
easy and efficient re-configuration. The
portion closest to the stage consists of a
platform on synchronised Spiralifts with
seating sections gliding on rails. The middle
portion has telescopic seats that can retract to
provide additional floor space when needed.
Lastly, the rear section of the hall features
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a mezzanine of 184 seats whose guardrail
can be removed. The gross floor area for the
building is 3,500 sq metres and the hall can
accommodate between 700 and 270 seats.
The architectural proposition was based
on a structural grid of cross laminated wood
beams that support the roof and create a
canopy over the main entrance. It clearly
communicates the importance of wood for the
region and supports the local development of
new technologies that add value to this natural
resource that has a better environmental
footprint than steel and concrete.
The project offers a new cultural model
for regional development blurring the lines
between experimental theatre, convention
centre and concert hall.
More information at www.arch-fabg.com