Located in Fredericton’s historic Garrison District, the Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts replaces the Fredericton Playhouse as a cultural anchor, expanding to 72,000 square feet with flexible spaces that support diverse programming and strengthen connections between performers, audiences, and the community, while establishing a strong visual presence.

Embracing its context, the design draws from Fredericton’s natural and built surroundings, and local industry. The building’s massing reflects Fredericton’s three-storey rhythm, while water, inspired by the flow of the Saint John River (Wolastoq) that runs through the city, acts as a shaping force, through an undulating, faceted glazing that mimics the ripples of the waterway. Materiality expresses a dialogue between past and present, with heritage brick anchoring the building in its urban fabric and wood introducing a sculptural, sustainable expression informed by New Brunswick’s lumber industry.

At ground level, the building is set back to create a widened sidewalk beneath a continuous canopy, bringing the façade to a pedestrian scale. Inside, a multi-level lobby offers visual openness to the city and becomes animated during intermissions. The 850-seat Main Hall proscenium theatre is designed for versatility, featuring a convertible orchestra pit, accessible seating on all levels, and optimized acoustics with clear sightlines. Complementing it, the Wilma Clark Theatre is a 285-seat, double-height flat-floor venue with retractable seating that supports performances, talks, and social events.

Local Indigenous culture informs the design through architectural expression and integrated art. Woven wood patterns in the acoustic wall panelling and lobby ceiling draw from Wolastoqiyik rich culture of textile and basket weaving. A large-scale tiled floor artwork by Wolastoqey artist Samaqani Cocahq (Natalie Sappier), POSONUT (BASKET), references an unfinished basket as a symbol of interconnection and healing, while a commissioned artwork by Ann Manuel and Peter von Tiesenhausen, taking the form of a 16-foot diameter circle, evokes the surface of the Wolastoq (Saint John) River.

The Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre is envisioned as both an artistic and community hub, strengthening cultural identity across the province’s Capital Region. Sustainability is a key priority, with the project pursuing Net Zero Carbon and targeting a projected 18% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.