Quebec?s motto, ?Je me souviens,? appeared for the first time?carved in stone?as part of Eugène-Étienne Taché?s elaborate façade for the province?s Parliament Building in Quebec City. The 19th-century building continues to blend architecture and politics in the present-day, with an impressive addition opened in May. The project is both a complex and careful intervention to what is certainly one of the most symbolically important heritage buildings in the province.
Ever since the 1984 shooting by Denis Lortie, Quebec?s National Assembly has worked to reconcile its desire to be open to everyone with the need to ensure the safety of assembly members, staff and visitors. After years of planning and studies of similar efforts in other political centres, the Assembly hired Provencher_Roy and GLCRM to design a new visitor facility that would sit in front of the Parliament Building and double as a protective barrier. Instead, the architects proposed an underground space. While surprised, the National Assembly?s representatives quickly embraced the architects? argument that this solution would avoid creating a showy, quickly dated object. Moreover, it would defer to Taché?s elaborate Parliamentary façade, complementing the narrative of the historic building.
Tucked underneath the grand stair fronting Quebec?s Parliament Building, a new underground welcome centre includes public meeting rooms and creates a secure entry to the historic building. Photo by Olivier Blouin
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