Peel Basin Entertainment Complex°
location: Montreal, Canada
client: Loto-Québec
In collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, the ARCOP Group and Claude Cormier architect landscape
°Co-designed/cirected by MLauzon Senior Partner NOMADE
The Challenge
Developed for the Loto-Québec and Cirque du Soleil partnership, this conceptual study builds upon the first phase of research completed in 2004 on the Bassin Peel site in Montréal. The challenge was to envision an international-scale recreational and tourism complex capable of integrating a new casino for Montréal, a 300-room luxury hotel, a 2,700-seat performance hall, and an outdoor park designed to host the Cirque du Soleil big tops. Beyond the programmatic complexity, the project was also tasked with the regeneration of a contaminated industrial site, while embedding the development sustainably within its urban and landscape context.
The Response
The project proposes the transformation of the site into a true urban oasis, where architecture and landscape are conceived as a unified system. The ecological concept focuses on revitalizing the Bassin Peel through the creation of a public waterfront park, the integration of a monumental green roof, and the reactivation of the Wellington Basin extending to Bridge Street. The project’s signature element lies in the articulation of the hotel and the performance hall, which together form an urban-scale stage frame. Their organic form, inspired by the movements of the human body, reflects the expressive universe of the Cirque du Soleil while establishing a strong and iconic architectural presence within Montréal’s cityscape.