Project Details
- Project Name
- National Arts Centre
- Architect
- Diamond Schmitt Architects
- Client/Owner
- National Arts Centre
- Project Types
-
Cultural ,Entertainment
- Project Scope
- Renovation/Remodel
- Year Completed
- 2017
- Shared by
- Ayda Ayoubi
- Project Status
- Built
Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
The first phase of rejuvenation at a major performing arts centre in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, opened in 2017 to commemorate the nation’s 150th anniversary. The National Arts Centre was born as a Centennial project in 1967 and styled in the popular Brutalist fashion of the time.
Delicate and transparent, the architecture of the new space reveals the artistic animation within and stands in contrast to the fortress-like mass of the existing structure. Open and welcoming, the new areas animate the civic and Parliamentary realm for patrons and visitors to the capital.
In the 1960s, the building was designed to turn its back on the city and accessed mostly by car. In shifting the entry, the design embraces the city and the pedestrian realm. The NAC rejuvenation is designed to meet the needs of a new audience, one that is not the elite for which it was intended in 1967.
The new wings are constructed of an exposed wood structure and ceiling coffers of Douglas fir and framed on a custom-designed glass curtain wall system that pushes the limits of glass innovation. With floors of Ontario limestone, the new lobby is formed as a series of six major spaces, each shaped to support a wide range of program events that together create a dramatic public venue embracing the adjacent park landscape, the Rideau Canal, Confederation Square, the city and the Parliamentary Precinct.
“The NAC can now support activity throughout the day in light-filled spaces designed to engage the public and become the crossroads for the performing arts community,” said Donald Schmitt, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects.
The Kipnes Lantern, a luminous beacon seen from broad vantage points, marks the new entry, fronting the city for the first time. The Lantern is digitally enabled to live stream artistic production from the NAC as well as from across Canada.
Public space for education, pre-concert gatherings and small concerts occupy the new North Atrium. An upper level Lounge takes in views of Confederation Square and Parliament Hill. A transformed Fourth Stage, which serves as an incubator for theatre and music, animates the NAC’s presence along Elgin Street.
Diamond Schmitt also completed a renovation of the main auditorium. “Southam Hall has been reshaped to achieve significant improvements in acoustics as well as patron comfort. A new orchestra shell and updated production facilities mark the next stage of renewal,” said Jennifer Mallard, Senior Associate and project architect.
A dramatically expanded events space to be called the Canada Room, sized for 600-plus patrons, reaches out to the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It opens in February 2018.
“Thanks to Donald Schmitt’s brilliant design, today the NAC embraces the nation’s capital, and emerges from its original concrete structure into an open, transparent and modern public building, to become the living room of the city” said Peter Hernndorf, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre.
Originally completed in the late 1960’s, the NAC is a landmark building with a range of performance and production spaces and has developed a storied history of excellence in the presentation of music, drama and dance from across Canada.
Kipnes Lantern
The next stage of renewal at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa unveiled on New Year’s Eve. The Kipnes Lantern is a three-storey, multi-sided signature element of the $225-million architectural rejuvenation by Diamond Schmitt Architects.
Positioned above the new Elgin St. entrance, the Lantern features the largest transparent LED screen in North America. The Lantern will showcase productions presented not only on NAC stages but also on the stages of performing arts organizations across Canada.
The idea to create a “fifth stage” at the four-stage arts complex came from NAC CEO Peter Herrndorf and architect Donald Schmitt during the planning process to transform the mid-century Brutalist structure into an inviting and transparent facility that engages with the city.
“The unique see-through technology of the screen complements the transparency established in the new public wings that enwrap the NAC and provide connection with downtown Ottawa and outstanding views of nearby landmarks,” said Donald Schmitt, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects.
“The Kipnes Lantern is a beacon for the performing arts, showcasing the breadth and excellence of the music, theatre and dance being produced across Canada,” said Peter Herrndorf. In addition to scenes of performance, digital ‘shorts’ created by Montreal’s Moment Factory, will convey moments of wonder and whimsy throughout the year. The Lantern will also recognize events of national importance such as Canada Day, Remembrance Day, and National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Vancouver-based company ClearLED provided the transparent digital screens on four sides of the Lantern in addition to smaller fin screens along the Elgin Street façade. Watch a short demonstration of the display here: https://vimeo.com/248987032
The National Arts Centre rejuvenation was inaugurated on July 1st with the opening of improved spaces for performance, new wings for audience and presentation events and reorienting the building to open onto the city after having its concrete back turned on Ottawa for 50 years. New events space along the Rideau Canal and further enhancements to the NAC’s theatres will open in 2018.
National Arts Centre Wins Urban Design Award
The transformation of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa by Diamond Schmitt Architects from a mid-century concrete edifice to a transparent structure of wood and glass was recognized on October 17th at the Ottawa Urban Design Awards. The first phase of the $225-million rejuvenation project received the Award of Excellence for Urban Infill.
Three new connected wings wrap the Brutalist original in a sequence of light-filled public spaces that activate the NAC’s programs throughout the day, from noon-hour concerts to pre-performance talks and post-concert receptions. The architecture of the new space reveals the artistic animation within and provides extraordinary views of the Parliamentary Precinct as well as establishes a direct connection with the public realm.
“We are honoured to be recognized by the City of Ottawa with this award and believe the new NAC will contribute to the enhancement and urban character of downtown Ottawa,” said Donald Schmitt, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects.
The architectural design includes a number of innovations, including a prefabricated and pre-serviced exposed wood structure that showcases Canadian wood technology for speed of construction. A high level of transparency is achieved by a custom-designed curtainwall system detailed with perforated bronze fins that allow daylight to fill the public spaces.