The Power Plant Gallery – Refresh

One of Canada’s leading art galleries devoted to contemporary art

The Refresh Project combines simple gestures and ideas to reinforce the Power Plant identity as a contemporary gallery space. Core strategies involved relocating the main desk in the interstitial space that connects the Power Plant and the Enwave Theatre. This creates a central reception space as well as a flexible event space to support the expanding programs of the Power Plant. The iconic industrial-scale masonry smokestack has been rebranded on the exterior, while on the interior the base establishes a main focal point and acts as a donor wall.

The transition between the entrance reception and the exhibition galleries is marked by a wall of monumental branded glass doors, balancing a sense of transparency and openness with requirements for security and conservation. Within the galleries, minimal interventions, such as new poured concrete floors enhance the contemporary gallery atmosphere, and the viewing experience.