Montréal Convention Centre

An iconic building asserting Montréal’s cultural identity

Sectors

Culture

Services

Architecture

Client: Société du Palais des congrès de Montréal

Location: Montréal, QC, Canada

Year: 2003

Surface of area: 1,349,691 ft² / 125,436 m²

Collaboration: Ædifica, Tétreault Parent Languedoc, Saia Barbarese Topouzanov

Photography: Marc Cramer

Distinctions:

Project of the decade (2001-2010), Armatura prize, 2010

Excellence in Construction Design award, Canadian Design-Build Institute, 2004

Winner, Armatura award, "Commercial or Institutional" category, 2003

Originally designed in the Brutalist style by architect Victor Prus and inaugurated in 1983, the Palais des congrès de Montréal underwent a major transformation with an ambitious expansion project. Our team was selected to reimagine this iconic space to meet the demands of a 21st-century international convention center.

Our vision was to create a more welcoming, luminous, and resolutely Montreal space. The expansion is distinguished by its bold use of color, both inside and out, and the integration of striking public artworks. The Grand Hall Bleury, with its facade composed of colored glass panels, offers a vibrant and contemporary visual experience. Claude Cormier's public artwork "Nature légère," an indoor installation composed of bright pink trees, adds a poetic and surreal dimension, which has become emblematic of Montreal's public art scene.

The project also emphasized the connection between the existing building and the expansion, as well as between the Palais and the city. The covering of the Ville-Marie highway made it possible to create new public spaces and improve pedestrian circulation, while the restoration of adjacent historic buildings enriched the surrounding urban fabric.

This complex project, carried out in design-build mode, posed considerable technical challenges, notably due to the presence of the highway and the metro beneath the building. Despite these constraints, the Palais des congrès remained open throughout the construction, demonstrating our expertise in project management and our ability to successfully complete large-scale projects in complex urban contexts.

The result is a transformed Palais des congrès, which boldly and originally affirms its Montreal cultural identity. It has become a cornerstone of the Quartier international, attracting a wider audience and contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of the metropolis.