ACDF BRINGS AUTODESK 3D CONCEPTS TO LIFE Project Designed By: ACDF Architecture Photo Courtesy: Adrien Williams
Colours, forms and geometry which define 3d models in an Autodesk window come to life in its office space based in Griffintown, a historic neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, southwest of downtown.
The Autodesk Project by ACDF
ACDF Architecture, a firm renowned for its use of anamorphic patterns and unusual juxtapositions of materials, is proud to unveil the new offices of Autodesk, situated in the trendy district of Griffintown, bordering downtown Montreal. The 40,360 sf project, comprising two floors of an existing office building, houses 200 Autodesk employees and features a series of offices, meeting rooms, breakout spaces, a game room, a media gallery, and multifunctional event spaces.
Tasked with creating a more branded space for the Montreal operations of the globallyrenowned company, ACDF drew from within to bring 3D objects from Autodesk’s software programs to life, ensuring maximal workspace efficiency and capturing the essence of the company’s products and people. “It’s always challenging to design with strict spatial requirements within an existing framework,” notes Veronica Lalli, Architect and Project Manager at ACDF. “We were able to meet all of the needs through the strategic placement of objects, using contrasts in colour and form.”
12 Design Connect|April-June 2020
A Sustainable Approach In approaching the Autodesk project, ACDF focused on being as sustainable as possible in terms of preserving as many of the space’s existing structural elements as they could.
The space was scanned in 3D and, using Autodesk’s powerful Revit program, the team conducted in-depth studies of every existing room. By identifying spaces with compatible qualities, ACDF was able to minimize the demolition process. The firm endeavored to preserve partitions that still offered value, while leveraging portions of existing polished
concrete floors and white ceilings as a base for their material palette.
“We made some of the existing spaces work for them, and then we designed some new spaces that are the heart and soul of the project,” explains Ms. Lalli. “For instance, we were able to preserve a large portion of the enclosed rooms on the main floor, which now serves as their services block, addressing their needs in the space.” Autodesk wanted its services block to be the central anchor of the office’s public space, with numerous informal lounges, whiteboard
