Page 88 - Designing Ways 254

Subtle and dynamic tonality provides a sense of mass and substance
to the structure, and the glass façade provides an enormous infusion
of light into the building. The frit pattern also serves to control
thermal heat gain inside of the building, which meets the firm’s LEED
Gold sustainability objectives.

The exterior façade’s infusion of light dynamically highlights a large
internal atrium, carved diagonally through the centre of the building
to create two volumes. The firm oriented the cut based on the site’s
previously existing pedestrian flow, moving diagonally between the
Place des Arts Metro station and Place des Festivals. To delineate
the cut, and to make the building’s mark on the skyline, a bright red
external fold contrasts against the clean glass exterior. The colour was
chosen as an echo of the cultural branding materials of the Quartier
des Spectacles, and serves to distinguish Îlot Balmoral from the
functions of more traditional office towers in the district.

Anchoring the creative economy
As a nod to Îlot Balmoral’s importance to Montreal’s creative scene,
the National Film Board of Canada signed on as the building’s
core tenant. Celebrating 50 years of film excellence, the Canadian
institution was looking to modernise and transform their facilities,
and the move included the reinstallation of the iconic NFB logo in the
new lobby, which is a symbol of Canadian design history.

“The NFB signing was proof of concept for us that architecture can
redeploy and reprogramme how neighbourhoods are defined, not
only on a visual or physical level, but also in its role as a centre of
cohabitation,” says Provencher. “Several other cultural organisations
have since signed leases, and Îlot Balmoral is becoming the creative
hub that we envisioned.”

Without requiring any significant changes to the architecture,
Provencher_Roy redesigned four floors of Îlot Balmoral for the NFB
in order to accommodate their technical requirements, including
editing rooms and the hosting of state-of-the-art equipment. They
also built a brightly lit white staircase leading up to the NFB offices,
located directly under the red canopy of the building’s main entrance.

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