Cultural and Administrative Complex, Montreal, Canada

The brief was to design a multifunctional building that would generate new value for the cultural and social aspirations of Montreal. The building must accommodate the national symphony orchestra and the music conservatory, among other institutions, along with a major section for government offices. The entire programme is contained within a single monolithic cube, which floats above an external and internal ‘landscape of encounters’. The iconic volume with angled facets and incisions responds to conditions at the site and divulges the programme within. The programme, circulation routes and structure are set around three atriums that visually interconnect the cultural and administrative functions.