Théâtre de Quat’sous / FABG

Théâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - ChairThéâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - Fence, Handrail, SteelThéâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - Facade, WindowsThéâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - ChairThéâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - More Images+ 21

Montreal, Canada
  • Architects: FABG: Les architectes FABG
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  860
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2009
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Steve Montpetit

Text description provided by the architects. Théâtre de Quat'sous was established in 1963 by a group of actors under the direction of Paul Buissonneau. Together they bought a synagogue located on Avenue des Pins in Montréal and transformed it into a small theater that never ceased to present daring productions from young creators including the mythical psychedelic happening “Osstidcho” in may 1968.

ground floor plan

Serious problems related to the security and comfort of the users combined with the need for production spaces led to the decision to demolish and rebuild Théâtre de Quat'sous on it's actual site after many feasibility studies demonstrated the impossibility to renovate the crumbling wood and brick structure built in 1907 as three row houses.

exploded axo

Avenue des Pins is a street that was created in 1907 after the demolition of existing buildings to facilitate access to the Mont-Royal as suggested by Frederick Law Olmsted. Today it is a collection of bad buildings and exposed firewalls that never met the promises of a prestigious boulevard leading to the Mountain.

Théâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - Image 9 of 26
© Steve Montpetit

Theater is about fugacity, a succession of unique moments that barely survive in the memories of those who were there. Theaters are ghostly figures that have witnessed what we are about to forget.

Théâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - Chair
© Steve Montpetit

In reconstructing the Théâtre de Quat'sous we were specifically asked to incorporate whatever we could from the original building to help the new one evoke those memories.

Théâtre de Quat’sous / FABG - Image 6 of 26
© Steve Montpetit

We chose to sample textures, images, colors and materials from a cultural inventory of the theater and mapped them on the assemblage of required volumes (stage, house, foyer, crossover, control booth and rehearsal).

Recycling on site stones, slate, wood, bricks, marble and furniture becomes part of a strategy of cultural sustainability. New materials include silkscreened glass, black brick and perforated aluminum that contribute to make Théâtre de Quat'sous a ghostly figure accumulating memories.

Publication material via v2com

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Project location

Address:100 Avenue des Pins E, Montreal, QC H2X 2Y6, Canada

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "Théâtre de Quat’sous / FABG" 19 Feb 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/50039/theatre-de-quat%25e2%2580%2599sous-fabg> ISSN 0719-8884

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