Notes on Architecture 7 – Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

As part of their Sherbrooke Street complex, the Montreal Museum of Fire Arts opened in the last year a fifth building, the Pavilion for Peace.  It received some coverage in the quebec and national press.  This new addition is a series of stacked galleries, occupying a relatively small footprint.  It was designed by a local progressive  architectural firm, Atelier Tag.  The exterior of the addition is light and contemporary, with some contrast to the existing urban fabric. Interior circulation between the galleries is through a series of staked lobbies and open stairs that have abundant natural light and views out to the city – this project, this path, sets up an engaging evolving relationship between the museum’s space and the city and sky.  The city backdrop, and the stairs and lobbies that one passes through, form an urban installation – une promenade architecturale.