Il complesso dell’Expo 1938 di Trois-Rivières (Québec, Canada). Un laboratorio per riabitare il Moderno / The Expo 1938 Complex in Trois-Rivières (Québec, Canada). A Laboratory for Reinhabiting Modernity

Abstract

The 1938 Provincial Exhibition in Trois-Rivières is a rare example of a modern ensemble designed for a regional collective event in Canada. Long neglected in critical discourse, the site reveals traces of transformation, abandonment, and adaptive reuse that have altered its original unity while demonstrating the resilience of modern architectural languages. This paper offers critical reading based on archival, iconographic, and in situ research to reconstruct the site's evolution and identify typological continuities. Special focus is given to the design studio Re-Habiter l’Expo, which explored heritage reactivation through stratigraphic analysis, identity values, and hybrid conservation and design methods. The case challenges conventional restoration theory, proposing new strategies for fragile modern architectures that balance memory and collective appropriation. From this peripheral context, broader insights emerge for the Canadian and international debate on modern heritage conservation.