2021
Launch of the international architecture competition. The Governments of Quebec and Canada join as partners in the realization of the project.
CONTEMPORARY
© Kuehn Malvezzi + Pelletier de Fontenay, Visualization: Secchi Smith
A new living space for art, ideas and encounters
In the heart of Old Montréal, a new cultural destination is taking shape.
Dedicated to presenting the most relevant ideas of our time through art and culture, PHI Contemporary will bring together all of PHI’s activities under one roof, in a space where history, art, and public engagement converge.
Scheduled to open in 2029, the new space will present exhibitions, events, an education program, residencies, and immersive experiences, as well as spaces for gathering, connected to the city around it.
© Kuehn Malvezzi + Pelletier de Fontenay, Visualization: Secchi Smith
A vibrant space for Montréal
PHI Contemporary marks a new chapter in the evolution of PHI and in Montréal’s cultural landscape.
More than a building, the project offers continuously evolving experiences shaped by contemporary art practices. Here, art unfolds across different formats, creating a connected and fluid experience. By bringing together PHI’s public activities under one roof, PHI Contemporary supports a more integrated way of engaging with culture that encourages exploration, return visits, and discovery.
Rooted in its neighbourhood and open to the city, it is designed as a welcoming space where contemporary art meets everyday life, and where new ideas can be shared, tested, and experienced together.
© Kuehn Malvezzi + Pelletier de Fontenay, Visualization: Secchi Smith
Heritage in constant transformation
Located at the intersection of Bonsecours and Saint-Paul Streets, the future site of PHI Contemporary has been part of Old Montreal’s history for centuries.
Long before the current buildings existed, this site already played an important role in the territory, underpinning the city’s positioning, evolution, and collective life. Over time, houses, courtyards, gardens, businesses, and public spaces have come and gone, continuously transforming the site, while carrying the traces of its past lives.
PHI Contemporary continues this trajectory, preserving and manifesting key traces of the past while evolving the site into its time. Through the integration of its heritage buildings, the contemporary architectural project is itself a dialogue between memory, the contemporary, and future potential.
“From the very beginning, our ambition has remained the same: to create spaces for encounters between artists and the public, and to engage with the most relevant ideas of our time through art and culture.”
An institution taking shape
2022
Selection of the winning team composed of Kuehn Malvezzi, Pelletier de Fontenay and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte.
2022–2024
Development of the architectural design and technical studies.
2025
Beginning of preliminary work and restoration of the historic masonry.
2026
Official groundbreaking and beginning of the site transformation.
2027–2028
Construction continues as PHI Contemporary gradually takes shape, from structure to interior development.
2028-2029
Installation of equipment, artworks, and furnishings, and preparation for opening.
2029
PHI Contemporary opens its doors to the public.
(building) PHI Contemporary
Episode 1: The Idea
Episode 2: Masonry
An embodied vision
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“A new cultural infrastructure is defined not only by what it contributes to a community, but also by what it preserves. PHI Contemporary is our commitment to building a significant destination for contemporary art while honouring the history of the site and the heritage buildings upon which it is founded.”
Éric Albert
CEO, PHI
“Heritage is what we receive from the past. Legacy is what we leave for the future.”
Talia Dorsey
Chief of Masterplanning and Development, PHI
“PHI Contemporary is an expression of a deep belief in art’s ability to ground us in presence, to be connected.”
Cheryl Sim
Director and Chief Curator, PHI
“We saw the site less as buildings to be restored than as a vestige of urban fabric to be woven anew into the city, the landscape, and the public.”
Yves de Fontenay
Architect, Pelletier de Fontenay
© Kuehn Malvezzi + Pelletier de Fontenay, Visualization: Secchi Smith
An architecture between heritage and contemporary public life
The architectural project for PHI Contemporary will be shaped as a space for encounters and exchange between artists, ideas, and audiences. Designed by the consortium formed by Kuehn Malvezzi (Berlin), Pelletier de Fontenay (Montreal), and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte (Montreal), winners of PHI’s 2021 international architecture competition, it brings together local and international perspectives in a shared architectural vision.
The project proposes a thoughtful approach to the site’s existing heritage, while opening new spaces for art, gathering, and public life. It aims to foster a cultural scene where art, architecture, and the city meet and evolve together over time.
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In the News
“Instead of proposing a new building, we are proposing a new infrastructure”
“An open space dedicated to probing the most relevant ideas of our time through its invitation to the public... this competition procedure is certainly a first step in the right direction.”
“Architecture, through the project competition, appears here as a means of thinking about these changes and of developing a conceptual, ethical and constructive commitment to heritage.”
Frequently Asked Questions
PHI Contemporary is a new cultural institution opening in 2029 in Old Montreal.
Exhibitions, immersive experiences, performances, public conversations and gathering spaces open to diverse audiences.
The project includes the restoration of existing heritage buildings and their integration with a new contemporary architectural intervention.
Yes. PHI’s current activities will continue throughout the construction period.
For any questions related to the works, you can contact us at [email protected].
Preliminary work is currently underway on the site. Some activities may have temporary impacts on the surrounding area and are managed to minimize disruption.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Quebec.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
