Characterized by a slender roof supported by eight thin columns, this award-winning 10,000-seat amphitheatre in Trois-Rivières, Quebec is designed by Montreal-based Paul Laurendeau Architecte in consortium with local firm Trois-Rivières firm Beauchesne Architecture | Design.
Sure to be a striking landmark in this small community, the amphitheatre consists of a covered orchestra with 3,500 fixed seats and a lawn accommodating 5,500 people. A stage and fly tower accommodate a variety of shows ranging from rock, jazz and pop concerts to Broadway musicals to ballet and circus acts. During winter months, a huge guillotine door closes the stage opening, allowing its interior to be used for receptions, private events, shows and banquets.
The geometric roof concept arose from the need to provide shelter for the fixed seating area. Its form covers and integrates the fragmented volumes of the backstage functions (loading dock, storage, dressing rooms, administration offices) and the fly tower. Measuring a vast 80 x 90 metres, the roof’s slender edge gently slopes underside from 10 millimetres to 6 metres at its centre.
Monumental letters facing the Saint Lawrence River have been preserved, but they now read “TROIS-RIVIÈRES.” Constructed of solid wood, they recall the site’s former life as the home of a paper mill. With a budget estimated at $41 million, the project is scheduled for completion in 2014.
For more information, please visit www.paullaurendeau.com/amphitheatre-3rvssl/