Inspired by the achievements of great Olympic speed skating champions, the Centre de glaces Intact Assurance—designed in consortium with Ardoises Architecture—is a first for the province of Québec and the largest of its kind to date in North America: Equipped with a 400-metre indoor ice ring, two Olympic-sized rinks for short-track speed skating, figure skating and hockey, and a three-lane, 465-metre athletic track enticing movement and promoting wellness, the entire project is a resounding ode to the enduring nordicity and hivernal spirit of a province’s rich culture.

From the speed of the skater reaching 60 km/h on its glacial tracks to the cars going 100 km/h on the adjacent highway, speed in all its forms is at the heart this centre’s design. The sleek shape of the building transposes what takes place inside, referring to the gliding movements, dynamism, balance, and fluidity of users skating around its ring and rinks. In the same vein, the outer envelope’s cut-outs and projections of fluid and continuous forms echo the profiles of the landscape while continuing to evoke movement and momentum.

This complex is a grand yet humbling gesture that promotes openness towards the community, allowing for both the democratization of this high-level sport and a permanent contact between its users and the outside world: Designed around the concept of a floating ring, an entire volume of the perimeter envelope is lifted to create a 360-degree band of windows at eye-level. Here, the architectural dialogue captures the notion of both seeing and being seen, featuring a strong connection between the surrounding landscape and indoor activities, and placing emphasis on absolute transparency and interconnection between onlookers and skaters gliding by.

Inside, the ring integrates a multimedia banner that conceals the building’s inner mechanics while lifting the bleachers. Covered with the calming grain of wood, this gesture helps to maintain the project’s human scale and directs one’s gaze towards the exterior. This use of wood alongside steel cladding throughout allows for a better control of acoustics within the building, where excitement reverberates in dulcet tones. It also creates a sense of warmth to contrast the fresh gusts of cool air inside.

With an identity rooted in openness, the building is a cornerstone gathering place in Quebec City, speaking to energy and activity in the face of winter, to the elegance of speed skating, athletes both aspiring and accomplished, and to those who practice such a high-level sport at the height of their skills.