Quebec. The amphitheater reflects itself in the waters of the St. Lawrence river

The project is the result of an open architectural competition to design a new 10,000 seat outdoor summer amphitheatre for the city of Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Located in an open site, the amphitheatre has no single front facade. Symmetry was used as a geometric strategy to address its context, in the principle of Palladio’s Villa Rotonda. Eight slender steel columns, 850 mm in diameter, 26 meters high, give the roof a stately while open appearance, with crossing views on the Saint-Maurice River through the auditorium.

Red and black express its function. The fly tower, an expansive space facing des Draveurs Avenue leading to the amphitheatre, is clad with aluminium vertical panel painted in three tones of red. The roof so t, in a last minute decision, was painted a bright red. At night, it turns into a glowing inverted curtain, lit by recessed projectors at the base of the silver painted columns.

The amphitheatre is being used as a cultural summer venue operating from May to September. It has the capability to present high capacity live shows that attract large audiences as well as more intimate presentations like to local symphonic orchestra or the jazz festival. During the winter months, a monumental thermal door closes the stage opening. Interior spaces can thus host exhibits, public meetings and a winter programming for a capacity of 700.