Diane Dufresne Arts Centre ACDF Architecture

The Centre d'Art Diane Dufresne by Canadian firm ACDF Architecture is an example of how architecture and art can come together to become an integral part of a masterplan designed to improve the quality of life of residents in Repentigny, a town north of Montreal.

When you talk about illuminated clients, then you can add the town of Repentigny with a population of about 65,000, located about twenty kilometres from Montreal city centre. The purpose of the urbanistic and architectural operation is perfectly summed up in these paraphrased words of Goethe, “why go farther and farther when you have cultural offerings right here at home”? Because the masterplan aims at reviving the town that suffers somewhat because being so close to Montreal, an attractive cultural hub, it risks becoming simply a kind of base to sleep, without any special points of interest.
The town council tasked ACDF Architecture to design the new arts centre along these lines, and their concept is an element to connect a grid of residential, bungalow-lined streets and an underused park. The iconic architecture stands in this strategic position, the linchpin of a new complex with themed gardens, a city square and a theatre that is easily accessed from walking paths to draw people to the site.
The quality of the building itself  is what attracts people to the centre. The mix of materials - locally sourced timber, glass and steel - give the Centre d'Art Diane Dufresne a familiar-looking appearance, underscored by the three streamlined volumes: a multipurpose room, a space for dance and theatre and the main art gallery.
The architecture is also a nod to Alvar Aalto, a design decision showcased outside by a pool of water that reflects the centre in continuous engagement with the context thanks to the large windows that turn it into a beacon at night..
The Centre d'Art Diane Dufresne by ACDF Architecture is not just a wrapping that leverages the building, it is actually real proof of the great aggregating power of a building intended as a new meeting point for people who don't necessarily have to head off to Montreal, because now they have their very own, new and varied cultural offer and landmark right there in Repentigny.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: ACDF Architecture, www.acdf.ca
Location: Repentigny, Montreal, Canada
Year: 2016
Images: © Adrien William
Thanks to v2com