The new public building of Péribonka, built on the edge of Lake Saint-Jean, elegantly combines the past and the future of this village of 500 souls. Its original twisted sunshades, created in Montreal, are gems of engineering and textile architecture.
The name Péribonka embodies two important elements of Quebec popular culture: its countryside serves as the setting for Louis Hémon’s novel Maria Chapdelaine, and its wharf has served as the starting line of the International Crossing of Lake Saint-Jean since its beginnings in 1955 .
Proud of this heritage, this community has joined forces in recent years to acquire a building with an architecture that is both unique and faithful to its identity. “She wanted a visual signature that would bridge the gap between her origins and her vision for the future,” summarizes Alexandre Simard, principal architect at MDO Maîtres d’Œuvre Architectes de Chicoutimi.
How did such a small municipality manage to afford a $17 million building? By merging all its needs into a single project: a new town hall, a fire station, a municipal library, multi-purpose rooms for its community organizations and the integration of the village church, converted to house the Louis Museum -Haemon.
That’s not all. The architectural ensemble, built on the site of a former school, abandoned for many years, also includes a listed heritage house, considered the symbol of the first colonial establishments in the region.
The result ? A building that is both sober and sumptuous, in the form of an enclosure of wood, stone and glass, at the heart of which sits the ancestral home. This choice is a small revolution in itself. “It took some convincing,” admits Carl Hovington, architect and project manager at MDO.
The house, inhabited by Hémon at the time he wrote his work, has long been considered a popular place of pilgrimage, despite its relative distance from the village. The initial plan included moving it very close to the museum, where its rural environment would have been recreated to respect its historical context, according to the standards of the Ministry of Culture.
“Even in a field, the house would have been decontextualized, because it would have been moved close to the provincial road. It would have suffered damage from automobile pollution, in addition to bad weather caused by the proximity of Lake Saint-Jean. In addition, the noise of the traffic would not have been conducive to immersion for the visitor,” underlines Mr. Hovington.
“We therefore convinced the Ministry of Culture to place it at the heart of the project, as the main museum piece, and to position the other parts of the project around it as a protective setting. It thus becomes the jewel of the museum,” explains Alexandre Simard.
Designing an inspiring library was also an essential element for this community associated with literature. Formerly wedged into the old presbytery, the library now occupies a large part of the building. Its cathedral ceiling creates a balance with the adjacent old church.
“The library is intended to become a gathering place like the church once was,” slips Mr. Simard.
Its large spaces suitable for reading are flooded with natural light thanks to its completely glazed south facade. This immense window also allows visitors to enjoy the magnificent view of the Péribonka River which flows towards Lake Saint-Jean.
“Full sunshine still has disadvantages,” concedes Alexandre Simard. The heat can become uncomfortable in summer and the sun deteriorates books. We needed to mitigate these two elements. »
The solution ? A series of long vertical sunshades with a twisted shape. Created by the Montreal firm Sollertia, specializing in textile architecture, these long strips of polyester and PVC allow you to enjoy an exceptional view of the landscape while blocking the sun’s rays.
This project required a lot of research and development to create the unusual shapes sought by the architects, recognizes Claude Le Bel, president and founder of Sollertia.
“A strip of fabric, like a scarf, will bend in the middle when you want to twist it. In Péribonka, we had to create wave shapes that went against the natural movement of the membrane. To achieve this, we had to create a unique structure for each sun visor,” explains this former technical director and chief editor at Cirque du Soleil.
The Sollertia team also had to take on the challenge of attaching its sunshades to the glass facade where anchoring points are limited. “Together with architects and engineers, we invented new anchors capable of supporting the high wind load in this location,” says Mr. Le Bel.
The whole thing is as resistant, if not more, than its equivalent in steel or aluminum, he assures. In addition, it offers the advantage of being translucent, therefore not completely blocking sunlight while reducing its heat.
The desired effect has been achieved, the architects rejoice. “The sunshades give the impression of open pages, or even sails on the lake. In both cases, the symbolism is in agreement with the nature of the building and its environment,” they conclude.
