01 / 02

Base de Plein Air

Construction of a new reception pavilion at the outdoor center in Sainte-Foy.

The City of Québec’s program for this new pavilion is structured around four building volumes, housing administrative, public, sanitary, and storage functions. The project aims to enhance this natural site located in the heart of urban life and to give it a strong identity.

This single-storey layout allows for better control of access to the building for each type of use, both for the public and for pavilion staff. By recessing the façades, interstitial spaces are created between the buildings, allowing for the development of viable and sheltered outdoor areas.

Open to the general public, it was essential that the materials used for this pavilion be durable and easy to maintain, in order to extend its useful life and minimize operating costs.

Finally, we worked closely with the engineers to design a building with high energy performance.

Client : Quebec city

Location : Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada

Size : 2 288 m²

Status : Delivered

Date : 2019

Key points

Wood construction.
Traditional and contemporary architecture.
Exterior design.

Download the project sheet

Intentions – Design Stance

The concept for the new welcome pavilion at the Sainte-Foy outdoor recreation base is defined by its scale, which is in harmony with the site and the surrounding landscape. The architectural solution developed for this new construction is intended to be simple, almost vernacular, yet fundamentally contemporary.

Initially, the City of Québec had planned the construction of a single two-storey building. By breaking the program down into several interconnected buildings, the team succeeded in creating a human-scale environment, allowing users to feel a closer connection to the site and the activities offered.
This configuration also fosters stronger ties with the outdoors and allows the built environment to integrate more seamlessly into the site, with a lighter and more open feel. This project is clearly the result of thoughtful spatial organization and a careful selection of materials.

The materials were primarily chosen for their rustic and natural appearance, reflecting the site’s northern landscape, but also for their durability and ease of maintenance.

Materiality :

Cedar shingles
Slate shingles
Cedar cladding
Steel sheet metal

The challenge of the site was to highlight this extraordinary green space, nestled in the heart of urban life, through the design of the pavilion.

Intérieur en bois de la base plein air de Sainte Foy

Wood – a noble and durable material

The use of wood was a natural choice from the very beginning of the design process. First, the decision to divide the building’s functions into several single-storey pavilions topped with pitched roofs naturally led the design team to consider a timber structure with traditional trusses. This approach simplified the construction process and helped reduce costs.
The multipurpose hall is characterized by a glued-laminated timber (glulam) structure with exposed wood decking, giving the gathering space a warm and natural atmosphere that aligns with the outdoor nature of the site.
Moreover, this choice fits perfectly with the goal of integrating the welcome pavilion into its environment, through the use of a natural material found in the wooded surroundings of the recreation base.

Wood was showcased in various ways throughout the interior of the building, with the intention of extending the site's natural outdoor environment into the indoor spaces.