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Wood

The original pine, hemlock and spruce floors found in the old brewery building that forms the heart of the Isabel were removed during the initial construction. Placed in storage during construction, this old-growth, heritage wood was later re-milled and used as a finish in the lobby of the new building.

Glass

To take advantage of the lakeside vistas, the glass used in the lobby windows of the Isabel is low in iron, which provides for much clearer views. Lobby lighting is directed upwards and is reflected down off the steel and stretched vinyl ceiling, which creates a softer light and prevents glare off the windows from obscuring the view.

Steel

The first time he saw the site, n45 architect Robert Matthews remembers the dazzling effect of whitecaps shimmering on the water. He chose the textured steel used to clad the upper reaches of the Isabel to mimic the effect of the sun reflecting on waves.

The mandate? Design a new performing arts centre for ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥.

Put like that, it sounds simple.

In fact, it was anything but. In addition to a performance hall, the building needed to accommodate the very different needs of theatre, music, and film and media students. And all fit within a compact piece of land that, while it featured fantastic lakeside views, demanded fitting a new building around substantial historic structures.

That was the challenge for Ottawa-based architects and Oslo's .

The Norwegian firm is well known for designing a number of significant buildings worldwide, among them the Library at Alexandria in Egypt as well as impressive performance halls in Oslo and Busan, South Korea. the Isabel is ³§²Ôø³ó±ð³Ù³Ù²¹'s first-ever Canadian commission.

The firms’ winning design located the bulk of the new building within the courtyard created by the historic brewery and stable – and then incorporated them directly into the new facility. Repurposing the former brewery meant removing the existing pine, hemlock and spruce floors, which was later re-milled and used to finish the interior of the building's lobby.

If the Isabel can be said to have a heart, it is the 567-seat performance hall, now known as the Jennifer Velva Bernstein Performance Hall. Virtually a building within a building, no part of the hall touches the rest of the structure directly and its two-foot-thick walls so effectively muffles sound that even if someone outside the hall were pounding on the floor with a hammer, the audience inside wouldn’t hear it.

The room's shape and form was driven by the international design firms, and , who worked closely with ³§²Ôø³ó±ð³Ù³Ù²¹ and N45 to design an intimate and dynamic performance space that wraps the audience around the room (this follows Arup's and Theatre Projects' collaboration with ³§²Ôø³ó±ð³Ù³Ù²¹ on the Oslo Opera House).

Theatre Projects seamlessly and discreetly integrated the lighting and rigging systems to maintain ³§²Ôø³ó±ð³Ù³Ù²¹'s clean, modern design for the performance hall. In the Isabel's 100-seat flexible theatre, Theatre Projects created a versatile space that can be rearranged into various stage configurations providing countless creative options. The acoustics and audiovisual systems were designed by New York-based Arup using their Virtual SoundLab technology, which allows the environment of a space to be listened to before it is even built. Retractable motorized acoustic drapes (designed by Theatre Projects to Arup's requirements) allow the performance hall sound to be customized even further.

From the project inception, Arup's team has collaborated with the architects at ³§²Ôø³ó±ð³Ù³Ù²¹ and N45 to create the pristine acoustics of the Isabel’s performance hall as well as the Principal Emerita Karen Hitchcock Recital Hall, whose acoustics are designed to the same high standard as the main venue. It is rare that sound engineers work so closely with the architects from day one.

When Robert Matthews, the lead architect from N45, first saw the site he recalls being stunned by the view – the white-capped lake, with all its "presence and power." Thanks to its large expanses of glass, the Isabel's design draws the lake into the building while its sinuous steel roof echoes the glistening waters. Together they tie what Matthews justly calls "one of the great concert halls in eastern Canada" to its waterside environment.

Want to explore the Isabel? Take .