The Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts in Fredericton, N.B., has topped out.

The new 6,689-m² (72,000-sf) facility increases the former Fredericton Playhouse’s space by 2.5 times, providing new flexible spaces, including a second performance theatre

Consistent with Fredericton’s three-storey massing, the building features horizontal banding that articulates the facade into a top, middle, and base.

The design uses water as a shaping force with its undulating faceted glazing that mimics the ripples of the waterway.

At ground level, the building is set back to create a widened sidewalk under a continuous canopy, bringing the facade’s scale down to pedestrian level.

One is welcomed into the performing arts centre by a multi-level lobby which functions as a gallery and is anchored by a theatre stair for hosting formal and informal gatherings, and performances.

The first of the centre’s primary venues, the Main Hall, is an adaptable, fixed proscenium auditorium. The 850-seat hall is designed to optimize sightlines, with acoustics that are tailored to provide an excellent environment for amplified sound.

The Wilma Clark Theatre, the smaller of the two performance spaces, is a double-height, flexible black-box-style space with retractable seating that accommodates 285 seats.

When designing the Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts, a focus on local Indigenous culture and building materials informed the design.