A Governor General’s Medal in Architecture has been awarded to the Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault, an 875-seat performance hall built near Place de la Gare in Saint-Jérôme. As the winning proposal of a two-stage architecture competition launched in 2014, the project, carried out in consortium with Atelier TAG, has since won numerous awards: the 2019 Cultural Establishment Award at the Grands Prix du Design de Montréal; the 2019 Institutional Building over 1,000 m² Award at the Prix d’excellence Cecobois; the 2018 Structural Building Award at the Grands Prix du génie-conseil québécois; the 2018 Institutional Building over 300K Award at the AERMQ Awards of Excellence; the 2017 Jury’s Choice and Young Architects/Engineers Awards at the CICA Awards of Excellence; and finally, a 2014 Award of Excellence from Canadian Architect.

The Governor General’s Medal in Architecture jury comments:

"This rugged concert hall works to activate the downtown of Saint-Jérôme, Quebec. Sectionally interesting, the complex exterior shows an industrial grittiness that attempts to grab hold symbolically and physically of its surroundings. A massive black spruce soffit protects the public in the forecourt, leading them inside to a lobby covered by the same canopy. The interior boasts a graceful concert hall clad skillfully in wood following an undulating pattern."

The Governor General’s Medals in Architecture recognize and celebrate outstanding design in recently built projects created by Canadian architects. The competition continues a tradition initiated by the Massey Medals, in 1950. This tradition has provided an important source of understanding of the nature of Canadian architecture, and the regional, cultural and historic forces which it expresses.