Québec Facility Tour, May 15, 2026 – Québec City, Canada

Super PEPS

The expansion of the Physical Education and Sports Pavilion (PEPS) at Université Laval includes the construction and enlargement of several major sports facilities designed to serve both the university community and high-performance athletes. The project introduces a new sports guymnasium with a capacity of approximately 3,500 spectators, an Olympic-size swimming pool with seating for about 1,000 spectators, a recreational pool for children, new training rooms, and additional support and service spaces.

These facilities support a wide range of uses, from varsity and high-performance training to recreational and community programming. The integration of these new functions required a complete reorganization of circulation within the complex.

Closely connected to the existing PEPS building, the project establishes a new northern entrance to Université Laval’s campus through an interior pedestrian street that extends the main campus axis. Activated by public gathering spaces, this covered street becomes the building’s central spine, creating a vibrant environment that brings together athletes, students, and the broader community.

Centre Vidéotron

Located on the site of the former racetrack of the Hippodrome, at the edge of the Limoilou district, the main volume of the Videotron Centre clearly expresses the building’s civic and cultural role at the scale of the city. Its bright white façade and fluid openings evoke drifting snow and the northern climate that shapes Québec City’s landscape. These winter elements subtly inspired the architectural concept of these major sports and cultural facility.

The curved façade is supported by a glued laminated timber (glulam) structure that strongly defines the character of the surrounding concourses. Undulating openings around the volume offer unique views of the city. Inside, the building is organized around open concourses overlooking the arena bowl, encouraging movement, gathering, and a festive atmosphere for spectators.

The Videotron Centre features a hybrid structure combining steel and glued laminated timber. Wood was chosen as the primary supporting structure for the building envelope in order to elegantly follow the curve of the exterior volume and create a distinctive architectural character for the surrounding concourses. Extending from the main concourse to the low roof over a total height of more than 25 metres, this structure has only one intermediate support point. Composite glulam arches, spaced five meters apart, form the 92 facets of the oval geometry of the arena. A metal deck spans between the arches, serving both as the interior finish and as the support for the building envelope’s waterproofing and insulation. Black spruce, in 25 by 25 millimetre sections, was selected for its local availability and structural performance, allowing the dimensions of the large arches to remain refined.

The generous entrance hall opens onto a large public plaza, bringing the scale of the building closer to that of pedestrians. A long-fritted glass façade acts as a sunshade while allowing natural light to animate the space. At night, the illuminated façade reinforces the building’s civic presence.

The arena accommodates a wide variety of sports and cultural events, with a capacity of up to 20,396 spectators for concerts and 18,310 for hockey. Designed to meet National Hockey League standards and targeting LEED Silver certification, the Videotron Centre represents a contemporary and iconic facility strongly connected to the community.