5468796 Architecture Inc

The Old Market Square Stage

The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain

THE OLD MARKET SQUARE STAGE

5468796 Architecture

PHOTOGRAPHS
James Brittain

AREA
784 m²

YEAR
2010

LOCATION
Winnipeg, Canada

CATEGORY
Public Space

"The Old Market Square Stage", (otherwise known as “The Cube”) is an open-air performance venue situated in Old Market Square, an iconic green space and summer festival hub in Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District.

The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain

In 2009, 5468796 Architecture won an invited competition with a multi-functional design that throws out the old bandshell concept on the grounds that when a conventional stage is not in use it would look forlorn - especially through the city's long winters.

A concrete cube enclosed by a flexible metal membrane, The Cube functions as a multipurpose environment. The membrane is composed of 20,000 identical hollow aluminum pieces strung together on aircraft cables.

The orientation of the pieces alternates, forming a flexible and shimmering curtain - a contemporary take on medieval chain mail, that can stand like a wall, be pulled in to reveal the performance space, or function as a light-refracting surface - allowing it to morph into a projection screen, performance venue, shelter or sculptural object.

The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain

The curtain's flexibility also allows for acoustical fine tuning.

Internal lighting refracts through the mesh so that the The Cube softly glows on the outside. An internal projector also enables images to be projected on the front curtain.

The membrane's diamond extrusions capture and refract light and images to their outer surface, creating a unique pixel matrix for artists to appropriate at will.

The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain


The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain
The Old Market Square Stage
© James Brittain


The Old Market Square Stage
Diagram
The Old Market Square Stage
Diagram


The Old Market Square Stage
Detail
The Old Market Square Stage
Model

5468796 Architecture Inc
T +1 204 480 8421 F +1 204 480 8876
5468796 Architecture Inc
266 mcdermot ave winnipeg, MB, CA R3B 0S8 Canada