Page 52 - Designing Ways 258

LIGHTING

Street. Three lightboxes act as lanterns to
punctuate the public space and provide it
with a warm glow at night.
The pyramid offers an obvious platform
for dance or acrobatics performances,
whereas the rectangular layout in front
of the theatre’s side doors can easily be
converted into a small stage.

The materials
The Art-Deco theatre was an inspiration
for the designers as they chose the materials
for Place Monique-Mercure. A rich, brown
granite, quarried from Quebec mountains,
was used for the site’s long bench. Douglas
fir was selected for the seating areas,
matching the colour of the theatre’s doors.
The outer layer of the lightboxes (18 x
18 x 24 in) is made of laser-cut stainless-
steel plates, with an interior plexiglass
layer acting as a diffuser to soften the glow
of small LED projectors. Brushed steel
was also used for the decorative bands
inserted in the stone and in the pavement,
giving reference to a typical Art Deco
geometrical line motif.

National Urban Design Award
Place Monique-Mercure received a
Mention (Urban Fragments category) in
the 2022 edition of the National Urban
Design Awards. Organised jointly by the
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
(RAIC), the Canadian Institute of

52 Issue 258 • dw