Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
With construction of the new Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the architects at Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes have achieved a remarkable conversion of a heritage church. At a time when conservation of the religious patrimony is a challenge all over the world, this architectural intervention is an exemplary model of the genre. Its excellence has been acknowledged by the 2010 Canadian Architect Awards of Merit, the Grand Prix du design 2011, and the Prix d’excellence 2011 from the Institut de développement urbain du Québec, which, upon presentation of its award, congratulated Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes for “its thorough architectural reflection with regard to this project, its exceptional urban integration, and its design, which brings past and future together.” In 2012, the pavilion received the Award for Architectural Integration of Montreal Architectural Heritage Campains.
Beside the restored former Erskine and American Church, transformed into a 444-seat concert hall, the rear annex has been completely reconstructed in contemporary style to form the new art pavilion. “The project was complex because it entailed designing a building capable of featuring the Quebec and Canadian art collections while establishing a dialogue with the church, with the museum’s other pavilions, and with the city,” explained Claude Provencher, founding partner of Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes