Hydro-Québec plays a 51-story tower like a piano — ADC Best of Experiential Design 2026

Hydro-Québec, Quebec's electricity utility, faced a perception problem with a real cost. Quebecers consume four times the world average of electricity, yet when asked to consume better, 72% pointed at office towers glowing all night, wrongly believing large companies were not doing their part. That belief was the perfect excuse for inaction: 'if they don't, I won't'. The task was to prove corporations were committing to energy sobriety in a way people could see.

The answer, created by agency LG2 with REF Digital and Parade, was a 'tower-concert' — a world-first live demonstration at the foot of Montreal's 51-story 1000 de la Gauchetière on the night of October 27, 2025. Pianist Alexandra Stréliski performed an original composition on a grand piano whose keys were wired as switches: a custom program translated live key data into commands controlling 110 distinct electrical circuits across all 51 floors, turning off the building's lights to the millisecond as she played.

For the journalists and guests gathered at street level, the event was a 'visual receipt' of corporate change: note by note the glowing tower darkened, ending in total darkness on the final chord. Rather than announcing a sustainability policy, Hydro-Québec let the public watch it happen in real time, then used the film of the performance as an advertising campaign. The stunt launched the Alliance of Exemplary Buildings, with 25 major buildings committing to reduce nighttime lighting.

The campaign generated 48 million impressions, and 64% of citizens surveyed said the demonstration inspired them to take concrete actions to consume better. It was named Best of Experiential Design at the ADC 105th Annual Awards, won a Bronze at the 2026 Idéa awards, and was recognized at the Prix NUMIX — proof that a sustainability message could be engineered as a public spectacle rather than a statement.