OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec

OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Windows, CityscapeOMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Image 3 of 13OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Beam, SteelOMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Stairs, BeamOMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - More Images+ 8

  • Architects

  • Location

    Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham, 835 Avenue Wilfrid-Laurier, Québec, QC G1R 5H8, Canada
  • Architect in Charge

    Shohei Shigematsu
  • Project Year

    2016
  • Photographs

    MNBAQ, Idra Labrie, OMA / Luxigon, Provencher-Roy, Courtesy of OMA
OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Windows, Beam
Gallery Cantilever over Grand Hall. Image © MNBAQ, Idra Labrie

OMA’s first Canadian project, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) expansion has reached its highest point. Extending from Quebec’s Parc des Champs-de-Bataille to the Grande-allée, the cascading gallery’s three stacked volumes have taken full form as the museum works towards completion in early 2016.

OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Windows, Cityscape
© OMA / Luxigon

Permanent and temporary galleries form the museum’s lower half, as the Pavilion Charles-Baillairge takes shape on top, cantilevering over a 14-meter-tall grand hall on the street below. Inside, a large elevator and spiraling staircase, complemented by a cantilevering exterior stair, provides a number of potential routes with orchestrated views of the city and nearby park.

OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Steel, Beam
Park View. Image © MNBAQ, Idra Labrie
OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Stairs, Beam
Atrium Stair: View from B1. Image © MNBAQ, Idra Labrie

“Beyond a museum extension, our ambition was to provide an extension to the city and the park,” says partner-in-charge Shohei Shigematsu. “Like the topography of the hills beyond, the gallery boxes and the inhabitable roof form a landslide that extends the museum to the park. The galleries float above the Grand Hall that will serve as an urban plaza for the museum’s public functions.”

OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Image 3 of 13
View from Grand-Allée. Image © MNBAQ, Idra Labrie

“Seeking to reveal rather than overwhelm,” as OMA describes, MNBAQ submits to the adjacent St. Dominique church, allowing it to continue to be the icon of the area. 

“Our ambition is to create a dramatic new presence for the city, while maintaining a respectful, even stealthy approach to the museum’s neighbors and the existing museum. The resulting form of cascading gallery boxes enhances the museum experience by creating a clarity in circulation and curation while allowing abundant natural light into the galleries,” adds Shigematsu.

OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec - Windows
© OMA / Luxigon

OMA New York won the design competition for the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in 2010. The project began construction in September 2013 and is expected to open to the public in early 2016. You can learn more about the design, here.

Project gallery

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Project location

Address:Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham, 835 Avenue Wilfrid-Laurier, Québec, QC G1R 5H8, Canada

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: Karissa Rosenfield. "OMA Tops Out on Beaux Arts Museum in Quebec" 19 Dec 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/579693/oma-tops-out-on-beaux-arts-museum-in-quebec> ISSN 0719-8884

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