Originally designed by Quebec architects Rogers D’Astous and Jean-Paul Pothier in 1967 at the time of the world’s fair, the Château Champlain is notable for its iconic structure and technical accomplishments. Overlooking the city from the top of its 128-meter, 38-story height, the hotel was once the tallest in Canada. Today, it continues to catch the eye of passers-by downtown with its rhythmic half-moon windows and the neo-Roman arches of Windsor station. Earning the nickname of “the cheese grater,” these window frames simulating the look of balconies were put at the core of the design narrative created by Sid Lee Architecture.

At the hotel’s entrance, porcelain and finely veined white stone with the appearance of icy surfaces were carefully selected to cover the arches and floor. On the lighting fixtures and in integrated furnishings, golden accents reminiscent of bare branches punctuate the space with warm touches, evoking reflections of light on the snow.

Behind the reception counter, an art piece designed by Sid Lee Architecture, in collaboration with MASSIVart and executed by artist Pascale Girardin, rises delicately and sets the tone for visitors’ experience of the hotel.

The open, multifunctional Greatroom permits visitors to wander around as they would in the city, discovering references to the organic world outside in its design details. Wooden openwork architectural screens evoke the ambiance of the mountain, giving way to spaces that are intimate without limiting the flow of light within the space. These fluid spaces were conceived to be continuous in order to facilitate wandering or pausing to eat, drink, work or have a conversation throughout the day.