Québec Pavilion

The Québec Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal was a steel and glass frustum structure built above a body of water between Ontario and France’s pavilions on Ile Notre-Dame.OverviewModern lines characterized the architecture of the Quebec pavilion. Its exterior walls were made of glass; by day, these were enormous rectangular mirrors and, by night, an illuminated display case. Surrounded by water, the structure was accessible by way of a footbridge. Visitors then entered by large elevators; inside the pavilion. The pavilion's modern architecture and interior exhibit were in sharp contrast to the traditional image Canadians then had of this province. The exhibits focusing on urbanization, industrialization, business and education presented Quebec as a province with its eye on the future. Natural resources, forestry and water in particular were also presented as growth industries. In this reflection of Quebec society, the minimalist display methods themselves were an attraction: thousands of coloured steel cubes were used as part of the exhibits which was bathed in an electronic score by Quebec composer Gilles Tremblay in which synthetized whir, twitter and roar complemented the visual suggestions. High overhead, the distinctive soundtracks collided and coalesced into a contrapuntal aural landscape.The building and the adjacent French pavilion are now part of the Montreal Casino.Architecture and Exhibition DesignThe Quebec pavilion displayed a minimal approach to form. The flawless construction, by Montreal architects Papineau Gérin-Lajoie Le Blanc and Luc Durand, composed of concrete floors and Vierendeel structural steel supported by four steel towers, left the viewer without a doubt of the pavilion’s harmonious and sophisticated assembly.