Plans to build a permanent cultural performance centre in Montreal will see eight of the city’s former subway cars used in its construction.
The performance centre will serve MR-63, a cultural organization in Montreal. The design will see the exterior glass structure of the centre complemented by dense biodiverse native vegetation that will cover the entire envelope and interior mezzanines. The outdoor public plaza will also capture rainwater for watering the building’s plants and will be greened to create a public cooling island. The low energy consumption of this project will also play an important role in reducing its environmental footprint as well as achieving Canada’s climate targets for a more sustainable future.
The building will meet the highest accessibility standards and will create a public space dedicated to showcasing Montreal’s cultural talent. It will also host civic and community events and actions to support vulnerable residents and marginalized communities.
To contribute to its host neighbourhood, the MR-63 cultural organization strives to bring communities together distanced by gentrification by celebrating their diversity and history. The availability and location of these spaces and the services they support play an important role in promoting inclusion and addressing systemic inequalities.
“The heritage MR-63 model subway cars created in 1966 have found a second life,” says Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and member of parliament for Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Soeurs. “The MR-63 organization has already been working for seven years on the planning of the project. This carbon-neutral building, which aims to be an embassy of creative culture, will showcase local talent in an accessible and inclusive space that will also help protect our environment and continue our fight against climate change.”
To support the construction of the performance centre, the federal government is investing more than $6.5 million toward the project.
