A renovation and addition transform a church in Old Quebec City into a centre for celebrating the province?s literary heritage and fostering a new generation of writers.
PROJECT Maison de la littérature de l?Institut Canadien de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec

ARCHITECT Chevalier Morales Architectes

TEXT Olivier Vallerand

PHOTOS Doublespace Photography, unless otherwise noted
?Each page of a book is a city. Each line is a street. Each word is a dwelling,? wrote Réjean Ducharme in his first novel, L?avalée des avalés. Authors rarely transform an existing book?but architects often have to add to the existing book of the city, inevitably modifying its meaning in the process.
Through this lens, how does one transform a 19th century church into a contemporary space dedicated to literary culture and creation" This is the challenge Chevalier Morales Architectes and three other selected firms faced in a 2011 competition to create a Maison de la littérature in Quebec City?s historic core. The former church was gutted as part of the renovation. Photo: Chevalier Morales Architectes.
Chevalier Morales? winning solution involved the restoration of the church?s vast interior space as a light-filled library, bistro and exhibition venue focused on Quebecois literature. They also added a glass pavilion housing a resident writer?s apartment and a suite of creative studios. Through the paired structures, the architects succeeded in creating a unique and positive hybrid experience....