Parks Canada
parkscanada.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
News Releases and Backgrounders
Backgrounder
The National Arts Centre National Historic Site of Canada
The National Arts Centre (NAC) is an outstanding example of a performing arts centre in Canada for its overall design, its highly successful integration into its urban setting, its succession of interior spaces to create dramatic effect, its unique combination of performing spaces and the progressive designs of each one, and its integration of contemporary works of art as part of its design. Designed in the Brutalist style and constructed between 1965 and 1969, the NAC’s irregular massing reflects its interior functions. Its exterior form is dominated by the three main performing spaces and associated lobbies, and by the stairs rising out of the series of low-lying terraces that form the roof of much of the rest of the building. The intent behind the design was to create three distinct performing spaces with state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting effects that could accommodate a wide range of performance requirements. The recurring hexagonal and triangular shapes that form the basic modular units throughout the building were inspired by the shape of the site. Exterior terraces form integral components of the design, helping to integrate the building with its urban surroundings and offering attractive views of Parliament Hill, Confederation Square and the Chateau Laurier. Compositionally complex, the building assumes an organic quality of constantly shifting views, as the visitor moves through and around the building and along the terraces.
The National Arts Centre is an example of state-of-the-art performing spaces and technology at the time of construction, in particular for the aesthetic and technical design of Southam Hall, which is an exceptional example of a medium-sized multi-purpose auditorium representing an inspired collaboration between architect and acoustician.
The National Arts Centre is an outstanding example of a building illustrating the positive consequences of Canadian federal policy on the performing arts during the second half of the 20th century, considered, in the words of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, as a “national institution.”
-30-
The National Arts Centre is an example of state-of-the-art performing spaces and technology at the time of construction, in particular for the aesthetic and technical design of Southam Hall, which is an exceptional example of a medium-sized multi-purpose auditorium representing an inspired collaboration between architect and acoustician.
The National Arts Centre is an outstanding example of a building illustrating the positive consequences of Canadian federal policy on the performing arts during the second half of the 20th century, considered, in the words of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, as a “national institution.”
News Release associated with this Backgrounder.
