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Infinite Buidlings, AZ Awards

When designing homes for serious art lovers, architects are often asked to tailor certain spaces to showcase favourite pieces. Jean-Maxime Labrecque, however, received a far more unusual request from two recent art-collector clients: They wanted their Montreal residence’s awkwardly narrow lower floor to function not as a gallery for any one particular acquisition, but, rather, as its own site-specific artwork. 

The solution that Labrecque’s firm devised has strong echoes of the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, yet it is thoughtfully integrated into its basement setting, effectively balancing artistic impact with domestic practicality. The first portion of the two-part installation consists of a narrow passageway featuring both a floor and ceiling clad in mirrored panels. Along the wall to one side, black cabinets provide storage space as well as access to service equipment, such as the home’s hot water tank and HVAC systems. Utilitarian as these may be, they become, when reflected in the nearby mirrors, a captivating spectacle, transforming into a kind of skyline that seems to extend out into the far reaches
of the cosmos.

“Infinite Buildings is very original. rnIt changes your perception of what art installations can be.”
Stefano Pujatti
Infinite Buildings, AZ Awards

At the end of the hall, another Matrix-esque optical illusion awaits inside an aluminum-clad volume. Lined inside with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, this intimate retreat reflects the light coming in through its entrance doorway to create the appearance of a curtain wall composed of endlessly multiplied windows. By remaking a once-claustrophobic basement into one that now feels truly infinite, Labrecque offers fresh proof that, frequently, the most compelling solutions are born from the most restrictive of constraints.

AZ Awards category Architecture: Temporary and Experiential Installations Project
Infinite Buildings Location Montreal, Canada Firm Jean-Maxime Labrecque Architecte, Montreal, Canada Team Jean-Maxime Labrecque

Winner: Temporary and Experiential Installations
AZ Awards 2019 Winner: Infinite Buildings

Architect Jean-Maxime Labrecque’s site-specific artwork for a Montreal residence wins in Architecture: Temporary and Experiential Installations.

Explore more Award Winners

2014
Award of MeritTemporary and Experiential Installations
Location
Victoria, British Columbia
Firm
D’Ambrosio Architecture + Urbanism, Victoria
Team
Franc D’Ambrosio with Bill Porteous
2018
Award of MeritTemporary and Experiential Installations
Location
Toronto, Canada
Firm
RAW, Canada
2024
People’s ChoiceTemporary and Experiential Installations
Location
Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
Firm
CCA Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica | Bernardo Quinzaños, Mexico