Îlot Balmoral, Downtown Montréal, Québec Business Development, Canadian Commercial Architecture, Photos
Îlot Balmoral Building in Montréal
5 Apr 2022
Architect: Provencher_Roy
Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Photos: Stéphane Brügger
Îlot Balmoral Building, Québec
The Îlot Balmoral, a 13-storey mixed-use office building commissioned by the Société d?Habitation de Montréal (SHDM), rises as a testimony to Montréal?s creative economy. One of the final major developmental pieces of the ?Quartier des Spectacles? in downtown Montréal, the impressive structure sits adjacent to Place des Festivals, and is the new home of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and UQAC?s École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD School).
?We proposed four visions of what an office building specifically designed for a cultural economy could look like, and Îlot Balmoral was selected to echo the very vibrant, dynamic nature of the district,? explains architect Claude Provencher, founding partner at Provencher_Roy. ?The Quartier des Spectacles is a cultural centre of activity that is now almost complete in its revitalization and transformation of the urban fabric surrounding Place des Arts.?

An architectural symbol of creativity

On the surface, Îlot Balmoral is a highly dynamic structure rising up from the urban fabric. The almost perfect cube is very clean and slick, and is wrapped in exterior glass that was carefully selected for its white frit patte...