Press Kit | no. 558-06
La Caserne – The Theatre for Young Audiences
Saia Barbarese Topouzanov Architectes + Delort et Brochu architectes
This 1912 fire station (G. E. Tanguay) was expanded in 1996 (Julien et Plante) to accommodate Ex Machina, Robert Lepage’s artistic laboratory. The granite-clad black box faces the Musée de la Civilisation (1988, M. Safdie), whose grey stone facades reflect the material character typical of Old Quebec.
Approach
In 2021, Ex Machina vacated the premises, which were taken over by the youth theatre company Les Gros Becs. The new institution required an expansion to house a 350-seat theatre as well as a multifunctional hall. The addition takes place on this site, part of the Old Quebec heritage district listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The design developed as a dialogue among multiple voices: between the historic city and the contemporary extension; between the fire station, the former Ex Machina venue, and the site’s new vocation; between exterior and interior — and above all, with its young audience.
At the corner of Dalhousie and Barricade streets, a small piazzetta and its artwork become a lively crossroads, opening toward Parc des Canotiers, the museum, and the St. Lawrence River. The sober, cartesian volumes compose a backdrop that highlights the historic fire station — and especially its tower, a strong landmark within the landscape.
A breach running from Dalhousie to Bell Street cuts through the preserved buildings. It becomes the foyer connecting the two entrances: the main public entrance on Dalhousie and the school group entrance served by buses on Bell. To signal the entry and the building’s new vocation, one of the wooden doors is paired with a blue glass door. Once across the threshold, the floor echoes this hue, as if the river still asserted its presence on the site.
Program
At the heart of the foyer, an open staircase initiates the sequence toward the theatre, the reading room, and the multifunctional hall. As one ascends, the tower gradually reveals itself through the glazing of the lantern that crowns the stair.
Located on the second floor of the original fire station, the reading room benefits from its tall windows. On the third floor, dormers piercing the west-facing mansard roof provide borrowed light to the foyer of the multifunctional hall. A small triangular terrace serves the administrative offices and opens views toward the river.
Ambiance
The atmospheres shaped by the forms and colours of the interior spaces create a playful journey for young audiences while extending the material language of the historic fire station. The grey stone of the ground floor is echoed by mirrored stainless-steel wall cladding, reflecting both the wood of the theatre hall and the movement within the staircase. The orange brick of the second floor finds resonance in a metallic copper finish. The wood of the mansard is answered by a metallic gold tone and by the wood cladding of the multifunctional hall foyer.
At the heart of the project, the theatre hall reinterprets the exterior motif in four shades of wood.
CircularityThe building is rooted in an ecological approach based on “circularity”. The new theatre integrates, renovates, and restores the 1912 fire station, as well as the Ex Machina-building (1996), while introducing a new addition. The project enhances and reuses the existing concrete and steel structure, while also recycling the black granite cladding from Robert Lepage’s theatre building.
The new fully glazed envelope also stands out for its enhanced durability. Its assembly provides high energy performance through attachment systems incorporating thermal breaks.
Technical sheet
Name: La Caserne – scène jeune public
Location: 103 Dalhousie Street, Quebec, QC, G1K 4B9
110 Bell Street, Quebec, QC, G1K 0L4
Opening date: November 4, 2025
Client: La Caserne – scène jeune public (Jean-Philippe Joubert, Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director)
Architects: SBTA Inc. + Delort and Brochu Architectes
Project team (design and construction):
Dino Barbarese, Vladimir Topouzanov, Sophie Trépanier-Laplante, Christopher Dubé, Marc Pape, Anna Zakharova, Louis-Guillaume Paquet, Flavia Socol, Julien Denault, Geneviève Deguire, Cédric Delort, Jean Brochu, Caroline Vinatier, Ghislain Dubé, Hugo Sénéchal, Caroline Lévesque, Léa Pasquet, Jonathan Estrade, Pierre Lépine
Other professionals and consultants:
- Structural/Civil: NCK Inc.
- Mechanical/Electrical: Dupras Ledoux Inc.
- Scenography: Trizart Alliance
- Acoustics: Bouthillette Parizeau
- Vertical transportation: JMCI Inc.
- Project management: WSP
- Artist (1% program): Jean-Robert Drouillard
- General contractor: Les Constructions Béland & Lapointe
- Costuction budget: $24,672,000
Selected suppliers:
- Seating: Atmosphare
- Curtain wall: Stekar
- Glass cladding: Stekar
- Epoxy coating: Sherwin-Williams
Construction budget: $24,672,000
Photo credits: James Brittain (+ Vladimir Topouzanov – Photo_02 only)
About Saia Barbarese Topouzanov Architects
The firm Saia Barbarese Topouzanov Architects practices architecture and urban design. Mario Saia co-founded the firm in 1968, while Dino Barbarese and Vladimir Topouzanov joined as partners in 1987 and 2002 respectively. Clear concepts that structure even the most complex projects, the sense of conviviality they foster, the presence of light, and a contemporary architectural vocabulary all characterize the firm’s work.
The office has a diverse expertise in urban projects, collective housing and institutional projects (universities, sports centers, theaters, etc.).
In terms of recognition, Saia Barbarese Topouzanov has completed successful projects that have been recognized for their integration with the environment, quality of design, respect for the human scale, and operating efficiency. The most important Canadian, Quebec, and local organizations devoted to architecture and patrimony conservation have rewarded the firm with numerous prizes, including the Gold Medal from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, two Governor General’s Medals, and fifteen awards from the Ordre des architectes du Québec; internationally, the Hue Award (San Francisco) and Wood Design Magazine; two Best of Canada Design Awards, Mitra Milan, and seven awards from Save Montreal and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. The firm’s projects have also been featured in publications in Canada and abroad (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Korea, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States).
About Delort and Brochu Architects
Founded in 2011, our firm, Delort and Brochu Architects s.e.n.c.r.l., combines Cédric Delort's experience and expertise in management, programming (both functional and technical), technical specifications, and cost estimation with Jean Brochu's conceptual and technical skills.
For over 10 years, we have implemented in our projects the benefits of architecture that combines creativity, human values, rigor, and high-level technical expertise. Our work is distinguished by a lasting and personalized aesthetic, which has won over a diverse clientele, both private and public/governmental, for projects of varying sizes.
Whether it involves new construction, renovation, expansion, or the maintenance and preservation of existing heritage buildings, the numerous projects we have undertaken have allowed us to develop a genuine sensitivity to different types of architectural interventions and to acquire a wide range of technical and construction expertise. Applicable at every stage of a project, our expertise extends from feasibility studies, programming and preliminary studies, cost estimation and budgeting, concept development, and client support throughout the bidding process and construction phase, right through to final acceptance of the work.
For the quality of our work, Delort et Brochu Architectes has received several awards over the years.
2019 - Winner of the competition for the relocation of Théâtre Les Gros Becs (a performance venue and theatre for young people) to the Dalhousie Barracks in Quebec City – in consortium with SBTA.
2016 – Winner in the ‘Housing / New Construction, Medium and High Density’ category of the City of Quebec Architectural Merit Awards, for the Habitations de la Pérade project (Quebec City).
2014 – Honorable Mention in the ‘Heritage in a Heritage Site’ category of the City of Quebec Architectural Merit Awards, for the renovation of the Salle des Promotions at the Séminaire de Québec (Quebec City).
2013 – 3rd place in the Urban Design Ideas Competition, for the Museum Hub project in the Montcalm district of Quebec City.
For more information
Media contact
- Saia Barbarese Topouzanov architectes
- Vladimir Topouzanov, Architect
- vtopouzanov@sbt.qc.ca
- + 1 514.975.0859
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