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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 3 -
GEnEral informaTion
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNSid Lee Architecture et Régis Côté et associés
ADDRESSE 75, rue Queen, bureau 1500,
Montréal (Québec)
H3C 2N6 Canada
Phone
514-282-2200
Website
www.sidleearchitecture.com
www.regiscote.com
CoNTACTSArchitect and Principal partnerJean PellandPhone514-282-6834 ext 554
pUbLIC RELATIoNSMarie-Eve Chaumont
Phone
514-282-2200 ext 482
pRoJECT NAMETripode, Amphithéâtre de Trois-Rivières
STATUTS
Competition finalist, 2011
LoCATIoNTrois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
CLIENT
City of Trois-Rivières
TypE Cultural and institutional
SIzETotal area: 13,671 m2
Total capacity: 10,000
CoNSTRUCTIoN bUDGET $34 million
Contact Us An Overview
Saint-Maurice River
St. Lawrence River
The purpose of this architecture contest is to “equip the city of Trois-Rivières with an open-air amphitheatre capable of seating 10,000.” Trois-Rivières is a small Canadian city (population 130,407) once known as the pulp and paper industry capital of the world.
Located halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, Trois-Rivières was looking to build its own venue for hosting high-volume summer festivals and internationally renowned bands, and hou-sing its symphony orchestra during the summer.
“In the early 2000s, the city of Trois-Rivières began work on a requalification project. The site
in question (a former paper mill) is situated along the St. Lawrence River, adjacent to the harbourfront park, the city centre, the St. Lawrence River and St. Quentin Island (for outdoor activities). Such a location calls for an extraordinary construction,” explains Philippe Drolet, architect, in an excerpt from the contest catalogue.
For the first phase of the contest, Sid Lee Architecture and Régis Côté et Associés banked on the project’s historical roots and awed the jury with a vision that reflects the site’s industrial past.
Revitalization of the former paper mill site
Contextualization
New public space before entering the Ampitheatre
Materialize The history of the site Description of the projet
Tripod was an imaginary foray into the industrial history of both the site and the city, for we believed that approaching this new amphitheatre without regard for its past would inhibit public response to it.
Tripod’s design strategy was to delve into the site’s history and give material life to an exploration of the link between past and present through the symbolic moulding of the stacks of paper mill–bound logs that used to rise along the Saint-Maurice River like great pyramids fed by conveyors. Through this reading of residual images of the city Trois-Rivières (Canada), we sought to retell a story that went beyond the visible landscape and tied the project to vestiges of its past. The amphitheatre was an entity meant to re-inhabit the site, with contours symbolizing the location and a profile embodying a resolutely
contemporary formalism.
From a formal viewpoint, the multiple ways the horizon was framed afforded the site new prominence and thus infused it with new life. The addition of a third support anchor, which also served as a lookout post, added a final touch by providing an expansive view of the horizon. On a smaller scale, the polymorphic landscape with its profusion of architectural events offered passers-by and users an engaging panorama.
The grand metal-clad wood canopy harked back to the steel-hulled ships that plied the waters while offering a striking contrast to the completely flattened landscape. The project’s uniqueness resides in its counterposed mix of scales and materials.
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GEnius Loci _ HistoricaL imaGEs
01 Site HiStory
Formal reference by casting the wood pilings and the conveyors that occupied the site in the industrial era.
02 Strategy / dialog / frame
Creation of an interrelation to the principal axes and of a new dialogue between the amphitheater and the buildings on the site like the Hangar (reactivity) and the Borealis Museum.
Creation and multiplication of the environmental frame by raising the canopy and the creation of three-point base..
03 texture of tHe marine landScape
Reminder of the marine world and the spirit of the site as an undulating landscape and the textures and materials of ships (wood canopy and metal packaging).
concEptuaL stratEGiEs skEtcHEs
piLE of LumbEr Source: anonymous (web)
Wood convEyEr Source: anonymous (web)
canadian intErnatioanL papEr, 1930Source: McCord Museum
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 13 -
Studies by the acoustician’s team were used to determine orientation and layout. Minimizing acoustic constraints caused by the project’s positioning and the direction of the sound from the amphitheatre was a prime concern. To enhance the sense of closure we added an access gallery along the southern (urban) flank that makes the amphitheatre’s presence and the prefunction role of the new public square more obvious.
Animating the venue also called for a special focus on pedestrian access, both through landscape design and entranceway functionality. Three public entry points punctuated the approach area to the amphitheatre’s performance zone. Artist and spectator intimacy is enhanced by a rolling landscape, designed to follow the natural curve of the terrain.
These design details preserved intimacy inside the amphitheatre while making entry points easy to identify and accessible, in order to create movement to and through the site.
The broader design strategy was premised on an economy of interventions creating a spatial dialogue between the sites components: the amphitheatre, the Hangar (to be reactivated), and the Borealis Museum. It presented a new dynamic of riverside openness and conversion of all existing buildings to places of public gathering. We extended the life cycle of this public ensemble created by these three buildings by tying everything with the riverside promenade to create a new urban sightline.
Onsite design01 invEntory forcEs in prEsEncE
borEaLis musEumExisting
naturaL sHorEsPreserved
topoGrapHyNatural, used to create access to the amphitheater
dockExisting, exploited into public place
HanGarExisting, reconverted into arts centre and public market
topoGrapHyNatural, conserved
02 Work on tHE fiELd's morpHoLoGy
HiLLockControlled access to the amphitheater by a lanscaping intervention
tripod nEW oriEntationConform to the PFT requirements
HiLLockControlled access to the amphitheater by a landscaping intervention
proposEd Grass LaWn6500 spectators
Lawn proposed to the f.t.p.
pLayGroundProtected from dominant winds by lanscaping interventions
construction of a vEGEtatEd accEss basiLarControlled access to the amphitheater
03 framE and circuLation in proximity of tHE ampHitHEatEr
sEatinG3500 spEctators
GEnEraL pubLic accEssTo the bleechers and grass lawn. Secured for crowd control
rivEr sHuttLETowards Trois-Rivières' city center.
framE : sHops and rEstaurantsOut of project
hall / v.i.p. accessMain access to seating
Stage House
staGE HousE drEssinG Wood planel walls
framE: HaLL and sErvicEs at tHE ampHitHEatErAccessible directly from the public place
N
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HanGar rEconvErsionExampLE of industriaL buiLdinG rEconvErsion usinG containErs as artists WorksHops
pubLic pLacEGatHErinG spot
rivEr patHWaypatH dEvELoppEd for opEn air activitiEs and rEstinG LinEd WitH dynamic vEGEtatEd incidEnts tHat EncouraGE discovEry
-PARk FOR CHiLdREN iN GERMANy-LiNEAR PARk (HiGHLiNE iN NEW yORk)
-TROiS-RivièRES BuSkER FESTivAL-MuvBOx (MOBiLE FOOd CONCESSiON)-uSEd BOOk STORE
-MSdM MEdiAWARF iN AMSTERdAM
pLayGround(city of Trois-Rivières)
HotEL offEr
commErciaL and rEsidEntiaL buiLdinGs
(Trois-Rivières urban development)
mEEtinG point
pEdEstrian WaLkWaymain accEss to tHE sitE
smaLL staGEOutside of the main stage
show hours
sErvicEs parkinGaccès controLLEd accEss for artists and EmpLoyEEs
traiL LEadinG to artist EntrancE
tour bus LandinG zonEdug space hidden from onlookers
EarLy cHiLdHood cEntrE pLayGround
dock:rivEr sHuttLE
protEctEd naturaL HiLLs
protEctEd naturaL
HiLLs
sErvicEs buiLdinGTrois-Rivieres city -
sport equipment rental and site maintenance
borEaLis musEum
community GardEns
rEst arEa
"contrE-EspLanadE":Playground and winter slopes)
obsErvatory
sHops and rEstaurants WitH GrEEn roof (but ExcLudEd from tHE proposEd projEct)
rEstinG dock
commErciaL parkinG
commErciaL patHWay
tripodE
Grass LaWn(6500 spectators)
LandinG zonE(bus, car and universal access)
HaLL and vEGEtatEd accEss basiLar
saint-mauricE rivEr
saint-LaurEncE rivEr
The broader design strategy was premised on an economy of interventions creating a spatial dialogue between the sites components: the amphitheatre, the Hangar (to be reactivated), and the Borealis Museum. It presented a new dynamic of riverside openness and conversion of all existing buildings to places of public gathering. We extended the life cycle of this public ensemble created by these three buildings by tying everything with the riverside promenade to create a new urban sightline.
The amphitheatre’s hall way opening to the public square is covered with a green roof, and its façade was made permeable to emphasize the connection of the exterior. We also create a large fresco to bring art to the site.
This imposing shape of the amphitheatre was also intended to make the facility a focal point for the rehabilitation of the city’s riverbanks and offer a way to experience and view the immensity of the St. Lawrence and Saint-Maurice Rivers from different perspectives and scales.
Commercial Promenade
buildingcomponentsProject specifications
At a glance
CApACITySeating 3,500 places (2,200 m2)
Grass lawn 6,500 places (5,205 m2)
Stage also used for receptions and banquets with space for 250 in winter
Administrative offices: About 15
STAGE AND SEATING AREAStagehouse dimensions: 13 m deep x 41 m wide
Stage front height: 1.5 m
Stagehouse height (above the stage): 25 m
Understage height: 3.1 m and 5 m
Proscenium: 18 m wide x 8.5 m high
Technical grid: 691 m2
Main entrance: 205 m2
ENvERGURE CANopéECanopy roof size: 3,525 m2
Canopy portico dimensions behind the stands: 80 m wide x 16 m high
Clearance under canopy structure: 11.5 m
Number of risers to lookout on roof: 85
Rooftop lookout dimensions: 25 m2
SUpERFICIESTotal area (net) 13,671 m2
Public spaces 498 m2
Public stage areas (stands and parterre) 8,991 m2
Stage area 2,483 m2
Stage support area 1,075 m2
Administrative area 412 m2
Services area 212 m2
A system of 1.2 m x 2.4 m aluminum panels would clad the outer wall of the stagehouse, perforated above the offices at the front and gradually opacified toward the back of the structure.
Like the hull with its metal exterior and its wood and steel interior, the stagehouse combined the power of gestural expression with a lightness of material expression.
Lobby Entrance
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The project’s structural premises were simple: use a wood canopy structure for historical reasons and for greater durability, and match it to the strength of steel on account of the architectural concept calling for long-span structures.
The strategy was to have a self-supporting structure made up of four rigid porticos in triangulated steel buttressed by two load-bearing partitions, the stagehouse side walls. These two walls were then joined
by a horizontal steel beam, thus forming the fifth portico and completing the compression ring. The final assembly was trussed with a two-way wooden structure (caisson). This structure was made out of prefabricated wood laminated beams about 3 m deep and assembled into 4 m x 4 m modules. The roof is covered with prefabricated wood decking tiles about 75 mm thick.
Composition of the skin’sstructural elements
03 Bi-directional Structure made of engeneering wood (trelliS) wood roof structure made of laminated-stuck pillars (depth of about 3m) from local wood essence; the black spruce
02 envelopecovering system made from opaque and perforated aluminium panels that are placed directly on steel frames (following the slope of the structure)
01 Steel frameS and porticoS (Stage HouSe)
04 prefaBricated wood SlaB Bridging4m x 4m x 75mm thick modules that form the system's diaphragm
05 wHite elaStomer memBraneHigh reflectivity to counter the effect of isolated patches of heat
01.1 stEEL framE assEmbLy Steel frames with triangulated spatial structure, prefabricated and assembled on site. economy ($) on assembly time.
frame Support: concrete pillarS
caSt on poStS
oBServatory
03.1 Wood structurE assEmbLyprefabricated modules assembled on site. economy ($) on assembly time. local material, durable, Quebecois expertise.
module 1
module 2
foot
foot
foot
foot
foot
BeamBeamBeam
Beam
portico 4
portico 2
portico 1
portico 3
flexural wallS and prefaBricated concrete panelS
Winter Activities along the quay
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 27 -
pLan_LEv.1_Ground fLoorHALL ANd STAGESCALE 1:300
pLan_LEv.2OFFiCESSCALE 1:300
pLan_LEv.4TECHNiCAL GRid / ROOFSCALE 1:500
pLan_LEv.3FOOTBRidGESCALE 1:500
pLan_LEv.basEmEntSCALE 1:500
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EL.: 30 146
EL.: 16 400
EL.: 12 184
EL.: 26 260
EL.: 10 500
EL.: 14 500
STRuCTuRE HiGH POiNT
ROOFiNG HiGH POiNT
vEGETATEd ACCESS BASiLAR
COMMERCiAL PLACE
SuBSTRuCTuRE
SHOPS
vEGETATEd ROOFiNG(SHOPS)
accEss HaLL staGE HousE obsErvatory accEss to sEatinG
GraminacEous GardEn
South Elevation _ Hall and main access
EL.: 38 032
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 31 -
EL.: 38 032
EL.: 31 379 EL.: 30 146
EL.: 26 260
EL.: 14 334
OBSERvATORy
ROOFiNG HiGH POiNT
STRuCTuRE HiGH POiNT
LOW POiNT
GRASS LAWN
accEss to tHE obsErvatory staGE HousE
East Elevation _ Ground / Esplanade
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 33 -
EL.: 30 146
EL.: 38 032
EL.: 26 260STRuCTuRE HiGH POiNT
ROOFiNG HiGH POiNT
SOuS-STRuCTuRE
staGE HousEpubLic sErvicE accEss
Grass LaWn
rEntaL spacE
north Elevation _ rental space stage left
Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 34 -
Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 35 -
EL.: 13 000
ACCESS TO AMPHiTHEATER / STAGE
HiGH POiNT
pErforatEd mEtaL WaLL infront of officEs and drEssinG rooms
accEss to sEatinG
EL.: 38032
The outside wall at the back of the dressing rooms and office area is a double glazed skin covered with the a semi-transparent wall system of perforated panels. This allowes light to filter in while protecting privacy. These perforated panels also make it possible to vary façade textures
throughout while using only a single material. The visible portions of the stagehouse and proscenium cladding match the wooden structure of the canopy. These surface areas are covered with a system of panels made of marine plywood frequently used in naval construction.
Material expression andenvironmental integration
West Elevation _ Backstage
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 37 -
tHE roofinG dEtaiL at tHE parapEt variEs to crEatE a baLustradE WHErE
tHE obsErvatory is situatEd
5m x 5m obsErvatory opEninG in tHE roof
Last fLiGHts of stairs insidE a moduLE of tHE WoodEn structurE
stEEL framE staircasE fixEd to tHE stEEL framEs and Wood piLLars
staircasE sidinG madE of stainLEss stEEL cabLE mEsH
stEEL structurE covErEd by an opaquE and pErforatEd
aLLuminium sidinG
detail of staircase leading to observatory
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 39 -
stEEL structurE(spactiaL skELEton)
bidirEctionaL WoodEn structurE
obsErvatory accEss staircasE
aLLuminum panEL sidinG systEm
tEcHnicaL cLEarinG
longitudinal view
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Trois-rivières AmphiTheATre - 41 -
staGE HousE canopy and sound dEfLEctors structuraL framE
pubLic sErvicEs zonE
perspective view
Ambiance Beneath the Canopy
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