Place du Sommet de la Francophonie

The world summit of Francophone nations held its 1999 gathering in Moncton and the showplace for the 90 nations was the temporarily enclosed Assumption Plaza in the heart of downtown Moncton. This enclosure would serve as an expanded atrium style lobby for the Summit’s main hotel and conference center, and as the prime lounge and relaxation center.

Showcasing the province’s wood industry, the enclosure’s form was built using modular wood trusses. Enclosed on the east, south, and west sides by separate buildings, the plaza’s regular grid, at 18 degrees from Main Street, set the 30 x 30 x 30 foot structural modules which supported a repetitive gabled roof. This module would prove ideal in working with the existing conditions.

Cost effective and repetitive to meet budget and schedule demands, a simple wood truss 3 x 30 feet long was chosen as the basic unit of design. In different configurations it became either a 30 foot high column, anchored to concrete piers or a girder truss, supporting the roof gables running east to west. Five separate roofs clad in corrugated Plexiglas with water troughs between each, were required to complete the 150 x 150 foot enclosure. Columns and exterior spandrels were clad in plywood and battens, and openings enclosed with corrugated Plexiglas. As a project that would be used for only three busy days and then dismantled, it proved to be quite a fulfilling and exciting exercise.