70
Casino of Montréal
the World Of Hospitality
Revival of the
Casino of Montréal
E
xceptional fact, the Casino’s redesign
will have led to the development of a real
creative laboratory, with its own research
and development budget. “The Casino was
an unparalleled site of experimentation. With the help
of local artisans, all the work on the space and material
will have enabled us to assert the building’s unique and
singular character even more,” confirms Jean-Pierre
LeTourneux, Founding partner at Menkès Shooner
Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes. Simplifying
indoor circulations and spaces. The current project
will complete the work that began in 1993, during the
first stage of renovations that breathed new life in the
former France pavilion of the 1967 World Exposition.
The design and renovations were completed in a
record time of 10 months. Following its immediate
success, the following and limited enlargements were
undertaken for the first time in 1994, and a second
time in 1996, in the building that housed the former
Quebec Pavilion.
The new phase of renovations enabled a
comprehensive review of the circulations and resolved
some functional problems at the same time.
The architects simplified the space by focusing it
around a circular hub across four levels, where the
recreational areas come together (bars and lounges).
The gambling areas are located around the vertical
column lit by a big mesh of aluminium slats, with
panoramic elevators on the south side and a staircase
on the north side. The 5th floor encompasses the
restaurant service, with two fast food counters (Asian
and Western), a buffet and an à la carte restaurant.
To preserve the unity of the gambling area, the former
administrative offices have been relocated outside
the building. The multiple previous accesses have
given way to a single majestic entrance, covering
the reception, cloakroom and security areas.
Outside, the designers streamlined automobile and
pedestrian traffic that now converge to a single entry
point. Setting up a strong identity was critical from
the early stages of the project. For Yves Dagenais,
Founding Partner of Menkès Shooner Dagenais
LeTourneux Architectes, it was a question of finding,
in collaboration with the marketing team, the Casino’s
true strength of the tone, with regard not only to
its position in the city but with its clientele as well.
The current renovation project provides the interior
space with its own personality, defined by a gaming,
light and Montreal spirit theme. Each of the four
gambling floors is identified by a playing card colour
with the designs discreetly displayed in the perforated
aluminium panels on the walls. By the same token,
huge mannequins portray the effigy of a card figure
(Queen of Hearts, the Joker...) that greets the visitors
at the entrance of every recreational zone. Oversized
tokens are hung or drawn on the ground to enhance
the symbol of the game.