Sudbury's Place des Arts reveals final design

Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger referred to it as "the big reveal."

The final design of Placedes Arts, a $30-million project that bills itself as a multidisciplinary arts centre of excellence in downtown Sudbury, was revealed at theMacEwen School of Architecture Friday.

The 4-storey, 40,000 square foot structure on Elgin Street is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020, sources with the organization say.

The price tag for the building is $30 million, and the funds have been secured from federal, provincial and municipal sources. The design is a joint venture between two firms: Sudbury's Yallowega Belanger Salach and Toronto-basedMoriyama & Teshima Architects.

Stephane Gauthier, chair of Placedes Arts, said the design itself draws from the world around it, both natural and man-made.

"We wanted to feel that this building has sort of grown from within the soil in time," Gauthier said.

The architecture also echoes the King Edward Hotel which once stood on the same property. It will make use of corten steel, a dark metal which oxidizes, or takes on a rusty hue after about a year of exposure to the elements.

"It's rusted steel that stabilizes after six months and it has the colour of our geological land," he said. "But it also has a very clear reference to our industrial past and present, whether it be rails or mining and industrial fields."

Caroline Mulroney, Ontario's Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, said the quest to capture the spirit of the Francophone community is a "foundational element" of the design.

"This speaks to the the soul of the community and also the architecture and the spirit of the north and... [they] did a beautiful job," Mulroney said.