Hariri Pontarini Architects recently provided a glimpse into the plan to redevelop the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.
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The new STLC will be one of the first certified net zero performing art centres in Canada that will combine a high-performance façade with efficient systems and on-site energy generation.
It will feature four floors that will function as a cultural ecosystem aiming to embrace the entire process of performing arts. The ground floor, which has an L-shaped area, will feature large doors to invite performances. The main ground-level Main Hall will be equipped to accomodate various configurations for programming and the 650 to 1,000-seat theatre can be reconfigured to suit several performance styles.
The second and third floors will provide an experience that acts as an interlude between the Main Hall and Acoustic Hall. This “messy middle ground” aims to celebrate the process of production.
The second floor will house studios, rehearsal rooms and informal performance spaces. While the third floor will contain additional studios, it will also feature a KidZone with its own separate entrance.
The fourth floor will prioritize performance, events and views with its jewel being the 300-seat Acoustic Hall designed for unamplified music and performance. This hall is oriented to the building’s main axis facing west to overlook Scott Street Plaza, and will offer guests views of the CN Tower.
“At the current STLC, everything is hidden inside. You can’t see anything from the street,” said Siamak Hariri in a conversation with Wagner. “When you take an orange, slice it, go like this and the whole fruit comes out. That’s how we approached this project. That led to this bigger idea coming from this quote I love from Susan Sontag, which is about transparency— what you see is what you get.”
“I think there’s something beautiful about that in the way that we are one thing on the inside sometimes and one thing on the outside.”
TO Live anticipates breaking ground on this project in 2026 and opening the doors to the new STLC in 2030.