Diamond Schmitt Architects

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation

NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE REJUVENATION

Diamond Schmitt Architects

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

AREA
7432 m²

YEAR
2017

MANUFACTURERS
StructureCraft, Farrow and Ball, Interface, OlympiaTile+Stone, Pratt & Lambert, Sherwin-Williams,Stone Tile,

MANUFACTURERS
Tarkett, Wilsonart, Forbo, Knoll

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Fast + Epp

MECHANICAL
Crossey Engineering Ltd.

ELECTRICAL
Crossey Engineering Ltd.

LANDSCAPE
CSW Landscape Architects

CIVIL ENGINEERS
Parsons

CATEGORY
Performing Arts Center

LOCATION
Ottawa, Canada

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

Text description provided by architect.

The National Arts Centre was a Centennial project, built in the Brutalist style.

It is a robust concrete structure of rigorous geometry but sits like a dark fortress in the centre of the nation’s capital.

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

For Canada’s 150th anniversary, the National Arts Centre’s rejuvenation project reorients and opens up the building to the city.

The transformation of the NAC is an exploration in architectural transparency, relieving the opaque mass of the original and offering a new material palette.

Every design decision was based on the inherent logic embedded in the original Brutalist structure, as a reinterpretation of its geometry, texture, and rigor.

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

Building on the original geometry, the addition is comprised of three wings of public amenity and gathering spaces. It is a transparent wrapping, revealing the creative activity inside.

Contrasting the original structure, the addition offers a new material palette of wood, steel, glass, and perforated bronze.

The Douglas fir glulam timber coffer system provides both structural support for the roof and the finished ceiling.

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

A highly coordinated prefabrication process met the demanding construction schedule and also showcases Canadian materials and ingenuity.

The geometry of the coffers is inspired by the original building and adds a layer of texture and visual warmth to the structure.

A customized hybrid steel/aluminum curtainwall system allows for larger panes of glass and a transparent building envelope.

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

For almost 50 years, the National Arts Centre has promoted and presented the arts from across the country and beyond in a four-stage complex that was inscrutable, where patrons had difficulty finding the entrance.

This transformation projects a new and welcoming presence to the city that connects and engages the public by revealing the activity within.

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography

Designed to be Ottawa’s ‘living room’, the transparent lobby and public space activate this central location day and night with an animated presence.

The new hexagonal entry tower enables digital display on a transparent screen, showcasing artistic creation from across the country, reinforcing the NAC’s role as a national institution of excellence in the performing arts.

National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
© doublespace photography


A Day in the Life of the National Arts Centre


National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
Section
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
Section


National Arts Centre Rejuvenation
Diagram

Diamond Schmitt Architects
T +1 416 8628800
Diamond Schmitt Architects
1050 W Pender St #2010, Vancouver, BC V6E 3S7, Canada