The concert hall is designed primarily for unamplified music performance. This includes the entire spectrum of a symphony orchestra and also chamber music, thanks to the adjustable systems of the hall.
These allow to tailor the stage size to the number of artists performing, and to adjust the acoustical environment with motorized reflectors and sound absorbing cloth.
La Maison is a dynamic expression of how architecture shapes music. Clear sightlines, audience comfort and superb acoustics define the concert-going experience in the new home of the acclaimed Montréal Symphony Orchestra under maestro Kent Nagano.
The hall is of “shoebox” design, distinguished among other elements by its relatively narrow, high and long straight geometry with audience seating on multiple balcony levels and surrounding the performers.
These geometric features have proven to deliver a superior acoustic environment and create an intimate relationship between performers and audience. The auditorium meets noise criteria N1, in which the background noise level in the hall is not audible to the human ear.
This is achieved in part by creating a “box within a box‟where the hall is structurally separated from everything surrounding it and sits on rubber and steel pads that prevent the transmission of vibration from the outside. The Symphony hall is designed to be an integral part of Place des Arts – the cultural heart of Montréal.
It is accessible from the street, from the plaza, as well as the subway, and beckons with an extensive glazed curtainwall, double-height reception room and side lobbies that convey a strong visual sense of the activity within, thereby enlivening the public life of the city.
A sculpted roofline soars above the limestone and granite base, extending the form of the wood-lined auditorium. Curved walls and balconies provide the acoustic dimensions of the hall and reinterpret the classic shoebox concert hall design with the exacting curves and proportions of a very large musical instrument.
The architects, in collaboration with the 19th-century Quebec organ manufacturer Cassavant Fréres, , who collaborated with architects Diamond-Schmitt and Ædifica, designed the striking array of organ pipes that grace the wall behind the stage.
The hall is a LEED certified building (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), promoting sustainable choices in the quality of environments and environmental site management.
Location: Montréal, Canada
Architect: Diamond SchmittArchitects
Project Team: A.J. Diamond, Gary McCluskie, Matthew Lella, Michael Treacy, Earle Briggs, Eric Lucassen, Jessie Waese, Cynthia Carbonneau, Marcin Ludwik Sztaba, Gary Watson
Acoustic Consultants: Artec
Renderings: Cicada Design
Acoustic Consultants: Artec
Renderings: Cicada Design
Joint Venture: Ædifica
Year: 2011
Client: Québec Government
Photography: Tom Arban, James Brittain