Click on images at left for larger color views. Chosen as one of the 2006 Governor General's Medals in Architecture by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Atelier in situ's Visitor's Center at Reford Gardens is praised as "a modestly scaled building complex that successfully commands the large territory of the garden festival site for which it provides amenity and support accommodation." Although the gardens are located in far northern Quebec, they are extremely popular, both for their historical importance and their annual International Garden Festival that features many one-of-a-kind installations and temporary gardens by local and international designers. This Visitor's Center greets everybody wishing to enter the garden, at first via a long, linear corrugated metal wall that recalls the high-speed driving required to reach the gardens. This wall continues along a foot path towards the main wood-clad pavilion. Reaching the main building, the corrugated metal and wood interact, overlapping as if sewn together. At one point the building opens to allow access into the Visitor Center's uses (cafe, shop, patio) and the rest of the gardens. The wood-clad building, like the corrugated metal wall, is long and narrow. Its roof is pitched but shallow, helping to draw attention to the wood cladding and the generous glazing that gives inhabitants framed views of the surrounding landscape. While the interior spaces cater to the modern needs of visitors, with opportunities for food and shopping, and respite from the elements, the architects did not forget that people visit the gardens to interact with nature. An outdoor patio acts as an extension of the cafe, allowing visitors to continue their experience of the garden in comfort. This decision is a smart one, given that the Reford Gardens are only open in the relatively warm, all-too-brief summer months. Reford Gardens Pavilion in Grand-Metis, Quebec by Atelier in situ 2006.05.29     Click on images below for larger color views.