This project was designed during Fall of 2020 for my studio course on music spaces. The Music Centre, is a large performance hall and recording studio, with trails and outdoor music spaces. There is a main building and 20 exterior pavilions. The main idea was to create a space where people can enjoy both nature and music, and also create a flexible design that can accommodate and welcome different types and styles of music. There are two types of pavilions – acoustic shells and circular pavilions. The audience can enjoy the walks from pavilion to pavilion on the trails, or artists can choose to organize soundwalks, like the work of Murray Schafer.
SITE
My design is located on a piece of land close to Mont Tremblant in Mont Tremblant National Park. It is located approximately 8 minutes from Mont Tremblant, less than 2 hours from Ottawa and Montreal. I chose it because it is in nature, but still reasonably close to big cities and in an area that already attracts tourists.
Before we delve into the design, I want to acknowledge that the project would be located on the traditional lands of the Algonquin and Mohawk nations. Historically both Algonquins (specifically the Weskarini) and Mohawks lived on the surrounding lands around Mont Tremblant. If this project were to be actually built, it would ideally be designed in consultation with the First Nations people who originally lived on this land. However, since this is a hypothetical project I had to make a few assumptions during my design process. I wanted to ensure that whatever I design would include spaces that would benefit or could be used by the First Nations of the area, and across Canada. Since the Algonquins and Mohawks often gather in circles for music, dance, and spiritual ceremonies, I made sure to include a lot of circles in my design as a way to accommodate their events.
Quebec Forests (left), Site as it exists (right)
Mont Tremblant is located in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest. There are lots of conifers, which according to studies, are the best tree specie for acoustics, and also many deciduous trees. That also influenced my decision to pick a more northern site, where there are more coniferous trees. The site slopes upwards away from the water.
Site plan designed - The existing road is extended which leads to an underground parking lot and the main building. The forest is left as is so people can enjoy the wild nature, and there is some landscaping around the building. The trails go up the hill, and at the top you can get views of the lake. In the winter, people can snowshoe on the paths.
Site Section - To get a sense of the slope of the hill and scale of the project.
BUILDING
Landscape Plan - The landscape around the building includes native species and wildflowers and winding paths for people to walk and enjoy the gardens. The design is inspired by the word of Piet Oudolf that has beautiful gardens and uses lots of perennials. His work is also unique because he thinks about his garden across the seasons. The garden uses native species to that region of Quebec, supports the biodiversity of insects and pollinators, while also having a variety of colours. The building additionally has a green roof.
Concert Hall Plan - The main circle has the concert hall at the center. Around it, there is a café, barrier-free washroom, storage (since the stage and chairs aren’t permanent and can disassemble) and a control room if people need a larger space to record. The second circle has an artists lounge and practice rooms for those performing or using the recording studio, which is in the third circle. There are also storage shelves located along the walls for instruments or artist’s personal belongings.
There are many other benefits to the circular shape. Psychologists have studied how spaces affect us and concluded that circular spaces are ideal for the gathering of people and collaborative environments. In order to create a welcoming atmosphere and encourage artists to collaborate in the recording studio, circular shapes are more conducive to creating this environment. Circles have no “head” or “top” and thus do not have any inherent sense of hierarchy.
Auditorium Diagram - Auditorium is designed to be flexible and accommodate different types of performances. Chairs are stackable, and the stage can disassemble. Different options for layouts, full capacity is 300 seats, but chairs can be removed to allow for dancing or for smaller audiences
View of Auditorium
View of Recording Studio
View of Practice Space and Artist Lounge
Section through Building
Exterior view facing East
Life Cycle Analysis (left), Structural Diagram (right)
PAVILION
Plan - Acoustic Shell (left), Circular Pavilion (right)
Section - Acoustic Shell (left), Circular Pavilion (right)
ACOUSTIC SHELL
Exterior View
Section - Acoustic shell is designed for optimal acoustic. The shell reflects sound waves back towards the audience. These spaces are ideal for portable instruments like acoustic guitar, autoharp, string instruments or hand drum.
Structural Diagram
CIRCULAR PAVILION
Exterior View - This is a circular pavilion, large and mostly flat allowing for dance performances.
Structural Diagram
Interior View
PROCESS WORK
