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Influenced by Quebec’s Olympic speed skating champions, such as Gaétan Boucher and Robert Dubreuil, with its design encouraging movement year-round, the Centre de glaces in Quebec City is built to inspire both aspiring and seasoned athletes.
With a 400-m (1,312-ft) oval speed skating track and two Olympic-sized ice rinks, one dedicated to short-track speed skating and the other for ice disciplines such as figure skating and hockey. This ice sports complex, designed by the architecture firm, Lemay, stands as the largest of its kind in North America and the inaugural one on the eastern seaboard.
The elliptical structure embodies fluid and continuous contours that mirror the velocity, dynamism, equilibrium, and finesse of a skater gracefully traversing 13,500 m2 (145, 313 sf) of ice.
The Centre de glaces introduces the innovative touch of a hovering ring that elevates the entire perimeter envelope to a height, which creates a 360-degree band of eye-level windows. This strategic design element blurs the boundaries between the interior and the surrounding rolling landscape, uniting them with a wall of glass that seamlessly merges the act of being observed with that of observing.
“By prioritizing complete transparency, we’ve eliminated compartmentalization within the space, making it accessible to the community and connecting skaters to the outside world,” says Eric Pelletier, architect, senior partner, and design principal at Lemay.
This visual inclusivity of the centre’s activities extends to the elevated bleachers, situated on a mezzanine level, with an integrated multimedia screen for indoor projections. Such layers provide an elegant solution for concealing mechanical services, while enhancing sleek minimalism.
As an embodiment of Lemay’s dedication to northern design, the Centre de glaces promotes well-being and embraces Canada’s northern character by encouraging physical activity year-round, featuring two indoor running tracks. One follows the ice’s perimeter, complemented by a second track encircling the complex in undulating terrain, providing multiple vantage points along the building’s exterior, marked by cut-outs and projections, adorned with a metallic skin that glistens and fades, akin to ice itself.
