The $225m renovation of Ottawa’s National Arts Centre by Diamond Schmitt Architects has won an Architecture Award of Merit from a leading performing arts association.
The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) recognised the expansion and production renewal of the multi-stage complex, which honoured the elegance of its concrete brutalism.
Three new wings built on the footprint of former terraces are crafted in a palette of Douglas fir, Owen Sound Ledgerock, bronze and a bespoke glass curtainwall to expose and celebrate the creative activity inside.
A marquee tower equipped with a three-storey video ‘lantern’ showcases original content and performance from across the country in addition to simulcast productions from the stage.
The production renewal improves acoustics, sightlines and accessibility in the main, 2,100-seat Southam Hall. An acoustically calibrated orchestra shell projects symphonic and other unamplified performance into the auditorium with new clarity. Re-raked orchestra seating and a wood-lined floor replace upholstered interior appointments that dampened the sound. The centre’s Fourth Stage – an incubator for theatre and music – is now visible from and animates the adjacent street.
Jennifer Mallard, principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects, said, “This insular fortress for the arts has been turned inside out to create transparent and transformative space for public engagement, to enliven the streetscape and enhance the centre’s visibility and identity.”
Collaborating with the architects on the project were theatre consultants Fisher Dachs Associates, Threshold Acoustics, and Wenger JR Clancy for the acoustic shell. A ceremony recognising the 2020 USITT Awards will be held in Houston in April.
