![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_hero-852x479.jpg)
Dow Planetarium revitalised as Centech incubator in Montreal
Canadian firm Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes has rehabilitated a planetarium in Montreal into an incubator for entrepreneurship and technology, and retaining its viewing area.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_2-852x663.jpg)
The Dow Planetarium in Montreal was converted into a building for Centech, a non-profit incubator to support technology and entrepreneurship. The structure was built 45 years ago, but closed in October 2011 and was left abandoned.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x663.jpg)
Local firm Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes overhauled the planetarium, converting it to be occupied by Centech – which was founded by the École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS), a branch of the Université du Québec.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_9-852x738.jpg)
The building is located in Montreal's Griffintown, in the Quartier de l'Innovation, and spans 2,000 square metres. It features a winged layout, with a dome at the entrance and centre of the structure.
The adaptive-reuse project involved leaving the original planetarium space intact and functional. The stark white marble slab overhead is still used as a projection screen for observing the cosmic movements of stars, planets, and other celestial objects.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x627.jpg)
The space below the domed ceiling now features an updated lounge, with dark grey flooring and red furniture, which also serves as a meeting and work area.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_1-852x705.jpg)
The rest of the plan is designed around the volume below – a circular structure wrapped with curved glass walls, and surrounded by a glass railing on its upper level.
A wedge cuts through either side of the cylindrical volume, creating two large wooden staircase that leads up to the viewing deck and narrow as they rise.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x538.jpg)
"The new vocation of the planetarium commissioned the typology of spaces: spaces to encourage encounters, collaboration and reflection linked to tools and advanced technologies, spaces of social diversity and exchange platforms for sharing knowledge," said a project description.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_12-852x479.jpg)
The centre of the building is accessible on all sides, with a circulation path leading to glass-walled meeting rooms, as well as a cafe, other meeting spaces, and an ideation room.
Most of the interiors of these spaces are light and bright, with white walls and concrete floors, while black ceilings create a dramatic contrast. Structural concrete pillars and posts reveal the original construction, and are left uncovered for an industrial feel.
![Dow Planetarium by Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/12/dow-planetarium-menkes-shooner-dagenais-letourneux-architectes-renovation-montreal-canada_dezeen_2364_col_11-852x479.jpg)
Tech incubators have sprung up in many different types of existing buildings, including a former shipyard warehouse in Brooklyn and a firehouse in Manhattan.
Photography is by Stéphane Brügger.
Project credits:
Partner in charge: Anik Shooner
Lead designer: Jean-Pierre LeTourneux
Project manager: Julie Morin
Architecture team: Mehand Aziz, Frédérick Dumas, Marie-Eve Éthier Chiasson, Sylvain Gagné, Pierre Gervais, Marc-Antoine Grondin, Mario Isa, Claude Labbé, Louis Laperrière, Gaspard Marier, Anne-Marie Nguyen, Joanne Parent, Charles Laurence Proulx, Gaétan Roy, Cuong Tran.
Structural engineer: SDK
Mechanical and electrical engineer: Bouthillette Parizeau et Associé
Civil engineer: GHD
Glazing: CPA Verre Structurel Inc
Acoustician: SNC-Lavalin
Landscape architect: NIP Paysage
Entrepreneur: QMD