Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

Country Canada
City Montréal
Client Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
Year 2018

An original, finalist proposal in the competition launched in June 2017 to transform the MAC.

Contemporary art today embraces a wide variety of forms and themes, appealing to a global audience with diverse interests. Museums have responded by diversifying their spaces rather than simply enlarging generic galleries. This proposal positioned the MAC on both national and international stages, enhancing its capacity to host a range of artistic media and to compete with leading global institutions.

The project included open and flexible educational spaces, visible from Sainte-Catherine Street, reinforcing the museum’s educational mission. At the urban scale, the new identity was expressed through a glazed façade and strong connections to Place des Festivals and Place des Arts, creating a seamless relationship between art and the public, both inside and out.

A new multifunctional space on the second level accommodated a variety of cultural events. Large openings provided clear orientation to the surrounding urban context. The open-plan design, free of fixed seating, offered high adaptability.

The MAC’s educational mission was emphasized through the strategic placement of learning spaces, including the transformation of the rotunda into a flexible area dedicated to youth.

Interior of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

Inspired by artist-architect Gordon Matta-Clark, the designers envisioned simple, clear interventions on the existing structure to open up new exhibition spaces. This approach gave the MAC a renewed identity while preserving its original mission.

The museum’s new entrance, located at a busy intersection on Sainte-Catherine Street, ensured improved visibility. The restaurant, spread over two floors with a terrace overlooking Place des Festivals, and a cantilevered exhibition hall were designed to operate independently of the museum’s opening hours.

The new exhibition halls offered large, flexible, and oversized spaces with industrial finishes, capable of accommodating a wide range of contemporary works. The project also provided an additional 350 m² of interior exhibition space, 340 m² of outdoor display space, 130 m² of additional educational space, and rooms of varying dimensions—ensuring the longevity and continued evolution of the MAC.