The large-scale revitalization aimed at rejuvenating the heart of the city was carried out by the Montreal firms Sid Lee Architecture and Menkès Shooner Dagenais Létourneux Architects.
A gathering spot of urban life
The major revitalization project is giving this emblematic site of downtown Montreal a special place at the heart of the city's cultural and commercial life, most notably through the Esplanade PVM.
Once punctuated by four modest skylights, the Esplanade now has one of the largest horizontal glass structures in North America. The reflective effect created by the glass surface of this pavilion is reminiscent of the water basins typical of public squares in the modernist era. The Glass Pavilion provides direct access to the Cathcart Restaurants and Biergarten located in the heart of the Galerie PVM.
"The extraordinary 16-foot-high Glass Pavilion supported by 18 glass beams, in addition to housing the gourmet area, magnificently blurs the boundaries between the interior and exterior, thus contributing to the animation of the public square," adds Yves Dagenais, architect and senior partner at Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes
The Esplanade PVM now offers a direct visual and physical connection with Mount Royal through the McGill College axis, enhanced by the Ring, a monumental art installation designed by Claude Cormier, which frames the emblematic viewpoint. A renewed version where it is now easier than ever to circulate, entertain and socialize.
