Montreal-based architecture studio ACDF Architecture has merged strict and fluid geometries for a sports complex in Montreal, Canada.

Named Collège Notre-Dame Sports and Cultural Centre, the 1,825-square-metre building was envisioned as a new social epicentre in the beating heart of the Collège Notre-Dame campus established in 1869.

The new building features two double gymnasiums, sports team changing rooms, a training room, a running track, multipurpose rooms for dance and theater, and a central connector hall—all of which support the motto of the historic educational institution, which is to train the mind, the heart, and the body.

"Collège Notre-Dame advocates education that seeks the perfect balance between mind, heart, and body to prepare students to contribute positively to society," said ACDF Architecture. 

"Given the significant increase in the number of students in recent decades, the sports and cultural facilities at Collège Notre-Dame made it difficult for the institution to maintain its mission, which includes a strong focus on sports and an abundance of cultural activities," the studio added.

Collège Notre-Dame commissioned ACDF to create a new sports facility that would unite its student body and improve everyone's quality of life on a daily basis. 

The new complex is situated in the center of the campus, at the intersection of all pedestrian routes that link the outdoor sports facilities and the institution's historic educational buildings, thereby facilitating student life.

Endowed with a sober architectural quality, the recently constructed sports and cultural center features windows all around its perimeter that provide visual connections between users and onlookers, consequently enhancing the activities occurring inside.

"We approached this project as being a very important tool for promoting a greater sense of community among students," explained ACDF President, Maxime-Alexis Frappier, an alumnus of the college and one of the architects of the school’s modern campus masterplan. 

"We wanted to focus on a central and fully exposed facility that would invoke a greater sense of being part of the overall social vibe of the college," Frappier added.

The Mont-Royal Heritage Site in Montreal, which includes some of the largest green spaces on the island, cemeteries, residential neighborhoods, institutions, and Mont-Royal Park, includes Collège Notre-Dame. This designation echoed ACDF's deliberate design philosophy by placing heritage at the center of the intervention.

The vast campus of Collège Notre-Dame is home to a number of legacy heritage buildings that span several eras of English and French-inspired architecture. These include original structures constructed in the 1880s and later additions finished in 1929.

"Major extensions were again added in the 1960s, infusing modernist architectural language into the campus. Remarkably, the eclectic architectural styles have evolved as a set of harmonious buildings, and ACDF endeavored to continue that legacy within the structure of a contemporary architectural concept," the studio explained.

A large rectangular building features an opaque façade made of aluminum paneling in the color anthracite that hides the facility's mechanical systems in its corners on the upper level. 

The building's abundant natural light is allowed to enter while being shielded from the elements and direct sunlight by the upper level's rectangular shape that extends beyond the lower level's boundaries.

With its fully glazed façade of curtain walls, the lower level offers direct views of the activities occurring inside the new facility from the pedestrian level. The fully glazed lower level's oval shape is created by rounded corners, which gives the building's circulation patterns more fluidity. 

The upper level's aluminum paneling, which is located directly above the complex's main entrance, blends seamlessly into the darkly tinted glass, highlighting the various activities taking place in the multipurpose rooms of the complex, such as dance, improvisation, theater, fencing, and more.

Constructed on the Sacré-Cœur courtyard, ACDF took advantage of the difficult terrain to dig a basement and construct half of the building, which houses two double gymnasiums and locker rooms, as well as a walkway across the courtyard and down to the football field.

Cost efficiency also helped to reduce the imposing and more human scale of the massive new complex, thus lessening its intrusion.

A natural stone wall could be built along the lowest levels of the building, just below the fully glazed façade, thanks to the building's uneven topography. 

The use of natural stone further integrates the new complex as a focal point and unifying feature of the campus while paying homage to the architectural styles and color schemes of the nearby historic buildings. All of this is topped off by a sizable green roof that is highly visible from every college study hall and classroom nearby. 

"Such an enormous roof provided us with ample opportunity to introduce sustainable elements," noted Frappier. 

"We decided on a large green roof that would not only collect and recycle rainfall, but which also adds a visual connection to nature as a reminder of the site’s inclusion in the natural heritage just outside of its walls."

"Bidirectional vibrancy"

At the main pedestrian level of the new complex, a 360-degree running track circles the entire building. Two submerged double gymnasiums are surrounded by the track, and the acoustic ceiling above deftly muffles the overall energy of the space. 

The completely glass façade gives onlookers a view of everything while, on the other hand, connecting track users and other internal users with the surrounding outside environment and campus pedestrian traffic.

"More than just a building, the new complex pays tribute to the Collège Notre Dame mission," explained Frappier. 

"It is designed to make students feel that they are part of something special, in the heart of the action, whether they are playing a sport, rehearsing theatre, or simply making their way across the campus."

Complexe Sportif et Culturelle Collège Notre-Dame was completed in December 2022, having begun construction in October 2020. 

The new complex unifies the expansive campus by blending contemporary design and materiality with existing buildings, adding a chapter from the 21st century to the institution's illustrious history. 

"Beyond a typical architectural response, the new complex contributes to the social fabric of Collège Notre-Dame in a significant way," the studio added.

"That social aspect played a major role in ACDF’s approach and decision-making throughout the project, ensuring a final product that will deliver positive impacts for the daily lives of students for years to come."

"This project is a shining example of how the power of architecture and design can convey values and facilitate inclusion, fraternity, and diversity,” concluded Maxime-Alexis Frappier. 

"We are very proud of the future that lies ahead for this building as a tool for communicating and motivating as an extension of the learning process."

Recently, ACDF Architecture built a library wrapped by a whitish glass skin that can act as a white floating volume in Quebec, Montreal. The firm also designed interiors for the tech headquarters of an American video game publisher company, 2K in Montreal. 

Project facts

Project name: Collège Notre-Dame Sports and Cultural Centre
Location: 3791 Queen Mary Road, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Client: Collège Notre-Dame
Architects: ACDF Architecture
Project start: September 2019
Project completed: September 2023
Surface area: 1,825 m2

All images © Adrien Williams.

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