The Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, has won a Civic Trust Award in the U.K. It is the only Canadian project to be recognized in this international awards program.
The new Stratford Festival theatre was designed by Siamak Hariri, co-founder of Hariri Pontarini Architects. The building features a façade of curvilinear glass and bronze, engineered to dissolve the line between indoors and outdoors. This sinuous veil shimmers in the reflection of the Avon River, awaiting the theatre’s inauguration. It will officially open on June 4.
Commenting on the Tom Patterson Theatre, the jury said, “The moment of entry seems like a tactile embrace, which is a triumph of design and a testament to the skill of the designers and contractor’s team. An excellent scheme. Intimacy, but with grandeur.”
The Stratford Festival team was delighted to receive the honour. “Our dream for this project was to create a shining example of legacy architecture that enhanced the local community and offered opportunities for greater community engagement,” said Antoni Cimolino, the festival’s artistic director. “Siamak Hariri deeply understood our goals and, as a result, we are now proudly seeing our dream come true.”
