Canadian Interiors September October 01

September/October 2010

Good work

2 employee-friendly offices NeoCon on the upswing Plus: How Toronto City Hall’s new garden grows

Introducing IDC’s Dimensions

small steps. resonant change.

An integrated approach toward people and sustainable initiatives enables us to create better products - and a better company.

Designed to last longer than most relationships. ÂŽ

| Designed for life. broadloom & carpet tile bentleyprincestreet.com tel 800.423.4709 Š2010 Bentley Prince Street, Inc.

New Gotham Available in broadloom Follow us at:

CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION AT AR.INTERFACEFLOR.CA See our ads come to life and experience the power of play with augmented reality.

To learn more call 1 800 267 2149 ext 2128 or visit us online at www.interfaceflor.ca. Mission Zero and the Mission Zero mark are registered trademarks of Interface, Inc.

ODE TO JOY REVEL IN THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY

product S: doodLE ™ AN d MEM p HIS to MILAN ANd BAcK ™ pAt tEr N LIBrArY

Dechirer by Mutina ELLE DECO Design Award

Stone Tile International Inc. 1451 Castlefield Avenue, Toronto 416-515-9000 Pacific Stone Tile Limited 1775 Pine Street, Vancouver 604-731-9948 Stone Tile West Limited 4040 - 7th Street S-E, Calgary 403-234-7274

www.stone-tile.com

stone tile TORONTO

VANCOUVER

CALGARY

NEW YORK

....beyond the surface

September/October 2010

Official publication of the Interior Designers of Canada

48

41 COVER — 34 The new Telus House tower in downtown Toronto.

Photograph by Shai Gil

25

Contents FEATURES

53

Good work COME TOGETHER — 34 Tenants, landlords, designers and architects teamed up to create a new office building that amalgamates Telus employees from across Toronto.

By Erin Donnelly FOOD FOR THOUGHT — 41 At the heart of this research consultancy’s Toronto office, designed by Figure3, is a kitchen for eating, meeting and hanging out.

By Leslie C. Smith CIVIC PRIDE — 48 Plant Architect and Shore Tilbe Irwin give Toronto City Hall the garden it deserves.

By John Bentley Mays

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE — 53 Andrew Reeves and his LineBox Studio bring residential Modernism back to Ottawa.

By Rhys Phillips

SHOW BIZ — 25

DEPARTMENTS

WHO’S WHO — 60

INSIDE — 12

Happy days

An upswing in the economy and contact furnishing industry made for an optimistic NeoCon.

By Michael Totzke

LAST WORD — 62 It’s show time!

WHAT’S UP — 15 PREVIEW — 22

Toronto’s architectsAlliance knows how to make an entrance.

By David Steiner

Expert opinions

Speaking up at IIDEX/NeoCon Canada.

By Michael Totzke

Following page 20

um_cdnint_ad_fall:Layout 4

9/3/10

Page 1

NEW DESIGN

URBAN

AT

9:01 PM

MODE 145 TECUMSETH STREET, TORONTO SHOP: WWW.URBANMODE.COM (416) 591-8834

by

September/October 2010 VOL.47 NO.6

Publisher

Martin Spreer Editor

Michael Totzke Managing Editor

Erin Donnelly Associate Editors

Janet Collins, David Lasker, Rhys Phillips, Leslie C. Smith Contributing Writers

John Bentley Mays, David Steiner Art Director

Lisa Zambri Advertising Sales

416-510-6766 Circulation Manager

Beata Olechnowicz 416-442-5600, ext. 3543 Reader Services

Liz Callaghan Production

Jessica Jubb 416-510-5194 Senior Publisher

Tom Arkell Vice President of Canadian Publishing

Alex Papanou President of Business Information Group

Bruce Creighton Head Office

12 Concorde Place, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Telephone 416-442-5600 Facsimile 416-510-5140 Canadian Interiors magazine is published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Tel: 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-6875 e-mail: info@canadianinteriors.com website: www.canadianinteriors.com Canadian Interiors publishes seven issues, plus a source guide, per year.

Printed in Canada. The content of this publication is the property of Canadian Interiors and cannot be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

Subscription rates Canada $36.95 per year; plastic wrapped $39.95 per year (plus taxes) U.S.A. $69.95 US per year, Overseas $95.00 US per year.

Back issues Back copies are available for $10 for delivery in Canada, $15 US for delivery in U.S.A. and $20 overseas. Please send payment to Canadian Interiors, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 or order online www.canadianinteriors.com For subscription and back issues inquiries please call 416-442-5600 ext.3543, e-mail: circulation@canadianinteriors.com, or go to our website at: www.canadianinteriors.com Newsstands For information on Canadian Interiors on 足newsstands in Canada, call 905-619-6565 Canadian Interiors is indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia ProQuest Company, Toronto (www.micromedia.com) and National Archive Publishing Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.napubco.com).

Member of Canadian Business Press Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations

ISSN 1923-3329 (Online) ISSN 0008 - 3887 (Print) G.S.T.#890939689RT0001 Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Customer Number: 2014319 Canada Post Sales Product Agreement No. 40069240 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

PAP Registration No. 11092

CEILING&WALL

SY S T E M S Between us, ideas become reality™

United States Green Building Council, Headquarters, Washington, DC TechZone Ceiling System with Optima® Tegular panels Envision Design, Washington, DC ™

uncluttered and uncompromised TechZone™ Ceiling Systems let you get rid of unwanted clutter by organizing lighting fixtures, diffusers and sprinklers in linear technical zones.

The result is a highly efficient, clean and uncluttered ceiling that uses standard Armstrong ceiling panels and grid to create a dramatic custom look. Don’t let clutter compromise your design. armstrong.com/techzone

1-877-ARMSTRONG

Inside

Working together The 2010 edition of our annual office issue celebrates the success of collaboration: designers working with contract furnishing companies, tenants working with landlords, architects working with designers, bosses working with employees. When the true spirit of collaboration is fostered, the results can be extraordinary.

My NeoCon report (“Happy days,” page 25) is a cornucopia of the fruits of collaboration – including Scott Wilson and Minimal’s smart SW_1 conference collection for Coalesse; EOOS’s refined Cahoots line of modular furniture for Keilhauer; and Rodarte‘s high-fashion upholstery and drapery patterns for Knoll Luxe.

The two Toronto offices we feature in this issue show the remarkable results of just the right amount of cooks stirring up a rich and nourishing broth. First up is the new Telus House, which amalgamates the telecommunication company’s employees from across the city (“Come together,” page 34). When developer Menkes began negotiating to bring Telus into the building as the main tenant, it asked &Co Architects to reshape the building’s original design (by Adamson Architects) to suit Telus‘s “Future Friendly” corporate workspace concept – a concept developed by Telus’s national design partner, Kasian, whose members were concurrently working out the interiors. Says Kasian’s Crystal Graham, “It was great to be able to collaborate with the architects and the result is a really integrated design.” Next up is the new T.O. office of In-sync, the international research consultancy firm specializing in bio-pharmacy branding (“Food for thought,” page 41). At its heart is The Kitchen, a large, airy space where bosses and employees eat together, meet together and hang out together. Everyone in the company – including the four senior partners – gets approximately the same-sized personal space. Says interior designer Chris Wright of Figure3, who designed the colourful, idiosyncratic office, “In-sync’s work philosophy is very creative. Their people do highly concentrated work on their own, but come together to collaborate and brainstorm on projects. It’s a very social company.”

Speaking of collaboration, we at Canadian Interiors recently formed a new partnership with the Interior Designers of Canada. We are now the official magazine of the IDC. As such, we will publish the association‘s official quarterly magazine, Dimensions – featuring industry trends, along with association news and information – inside CI. You’ll find the premier issue of IDC’s Dimensions following page 20. c I Canadian Int - Cumberland half pg 8x5:Layout 1

Michael Totzke mtotzke@canadianinteriors.com

CUMBERLAND beautiful objects that work

8/11/10

2:17 PM

Page 1

Celina chairs, Deauville table, and Alton bench designed by Yohandel Ruiz of RTKL for Cumberland Furniture.

American design and craftsmanship to make architectural spaces comfortable. cumberlandfurniture.com

800.401.7877

© 2010 Shaw, A Berkshire Hathaway Company

overlay + scale tile

SHIFT YOUR SHAPE. PATTERN AND TEXTURE PLAY OUT IN THOUGHTFUL NEW RECTANGULAR PROPORTIONS.

18X36 IS COMING SOON. AND ANY WAY YOU SHAPE IT, TILE INSTALLATION WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. www.shawcontractgroup.com

New York

Chicago

Boston

Toronto

www.nienkamper.com 800.668.9319

What’s Up

SEPT./OCT. Where there’s a Will, there’s a way A new exhibition at the Design Exchange celebrates the work – past and present, but with an emphasis on the future – of British architect Will Alsop.

An Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Alsop is renowned for his bold and colourful approach to design.

He has won many awards internationally, including the coveted Stirling Prize in 2000 for the Peckham Library in London. In addition to being a designer and artist, Alsop has held many academic posts; he is currently a professor at the Technical University of Vienna.

Canadians know him best for the Sharp Centre for Design at Toronto’s OCAD University (completed in 2004, it was his first project in North America).

Vividly patterned with a

colourful pixilated skin, and raised eight stories above the ground, Alsop’s exuberant work is also known as the “table top” or “flying rectangle.”

It houses OCAD’s Faculty of Design; applications to the faculty increased 300 per cent when the building was unveiled. The Sharp Centre went on to win the prestigious RIBA Worldwide Projects Award and the Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Award.

Alsop often describes Toronto as his spiritual home.

He is responsible for revitalizing neighbourhoods with hip residential developments, including the Will Alsop Collection at King Towns (near King West) and Westside Gallery Lofts (near Queen West). Another of his designs, for a major office and event space at the Filmport film studio project, is currently under construction. His last commission in Ontario was awarded in 2006 after he sold his own practice to the SMC Group (now Archial) in order to escape the rigors of ownership

and devote his time to designing, leading to the closure of his Canadian office. However, Alsop recently joined forces with international design firm RMJM to create the Will Alsop at RMJM studio, and is focused on returning to work in Canada. Further, he was recently appointed Distinguished Visiting Practitioner in Architecture at Ryerson University.

The DX exhibition is an assemblage of memorabilia that reflects work, relationships and interests. Themes explored include “the public view, light, proportion, the dirty canvas, tyranny of style, behaviour, not function, materials, colour, immediacy, the health risk of boredom, urban migration and more.”

The exhibition shows “bits of

the past” and one current project in progress.

“Will Alsop. New Work. The Best is Yet to Come” continues at the Design Exchange through Oct. 18.

Clockwise from left Will Alsop in action (on screen is the architect‘s famous “table top” structure for Toronto’s OCAD University); Alsop’s design for a new Russian cultural museum in Jericho, commissioned by the Russian Administration and Orthodox Church; Alsop’s new identity for the 54-storey Abdul Salam Rafi Tower, on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 15

The air that we breathe The Environmental Protection Agency has identified indoor air quality as one of the top five most urgent risks to public health; and data shows there’s a clear link between breathing issues and productivity. Two new products are designed to “clear the air” in the office.

Humanscale’s Humanair Personal Zone Air Purifier, which employs patented Clean Air Zone Technology, directs clean air exactly where it‘s needed – where the user breathes. Utilizing a tightly coiled paper filter, it removes more than 99 per cent of airborne toxins and contaminants. Working in a bubble of ultra-pure air promotes good

health from the inside out, and allows workers to breathe easier, feel refreshed and perform better.

Big Ass Fans, which designs and sells large, energy-efficient ceiling fans, has come up with a new model called Isis.

Incorporating the same sturdy components and aerodynamic principles as industrial Big Ass Fans, Isis is lighter, smaller and more stylish, and ideal for office ceilings as low as 12 feet. Its sweeping airfoil blades – shaped like aircraft wings – revolve slowly and quietly to produce gentle but powerful currents of air that deliver consistent, energy-efficient comfort year round.

Top Isis is a lighter, smaller and more stylish model from Big Ass Fans. Available in diameters of eight, nine and 10 feet, it operates silently, even at maximum speed. Above Humanscale’s Humanair Personal Zone Air Purifier uses a tightly coiled paper filter that has more surface area for collecting dust and particles than any other air-purification method.

Gayle Marshall Sales Representative

Create Versatility with QuARTz QuARTz shower channels are designed to be versatile. Whether a barrier free shower design is required for aesthetics or ADA function, QuARTz by ACO shower channels are the ideal solution. QuARTz is also an ideal choice for commercial projects; from the quiet serenity of a luxury day spa, the sophistication and opulence of a hotel suite to the functionality and performance needs of an assisted care facility. www.QuARTzbyACO.com (877) 226-4255

416.925.9191 gaylemarshall@chestnutpark.com

1300 Yonge St. Suite 100 Toronto ON M4R 1V6 www.chestnutpark.com

8LI (<%W EVI 'EREHE´W SRP] HIWMKR GSQTIXMXMSR XS NYHKI HIWMKR F] VIWYPXW FEPERGMRK JYRGXMSR EIWXLIXMGW ERH IGSRSQMG WYGGIWW % NYV] SJ PIEHMRK FYWMRIWW I\IGYXMZIW HIWMKRIVW ERH GSQQYRMX] PIEHIVW [MPP WIPIGX [MRRIVW MR GEXIKSVMIW MRGPYHMRK EVGLMXIGXYVI IRKMRIIVMRK JEWLMSR KVETLMG HIWMKR MRHYWXVMEP HIWMKR MRXIVMSV HIWMKR PERHWGETI EVGLMXIGXYVI ERH YVFER HIWMKR

THE TH HE M MAGIC AGIC O OF FF FLOORING LO L OORIING NG Carpets and floor coverings can create special spaces, transform the look of a room and play a big role in interior design.

Enter the world of floor coverings and discover the magic of trends and textures, innovation and new ideas.

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR, Shanghai, 22–24 March 2011 DOMOTEX Middle East, United Arab Emirates, 2011 Co-Mar Management Services, Inc. • Tel.: + 1 800 727 4183 info@hf-canada.com

AA11_1_11_0001_01_CanadienInteriors_203x127_CAN_RZ.indd 1

www.domotex.de

01.09.2010 10:54:11 Uhr

The great walls of Teknion The Bow, a 58-story tower currently under construction in Calgary, is set to redefine the modern office tower. This is the first time a triangular diagrid system (similar to the one on the exterior of Chicago’s John Hancock building) has been applied to a curved building in North America. Scheduled for completion in late 2011, its arched shape provides clear views of the Bow River Valley,

the Bow River and the Rocky Mountains, bringing the outside in for its lucky occupants.

The tower is also home to one of the world’s largest installations of Teknion’s full-height, demountable wall products; in fact, if all of the Altos walls used were assembled in a straight line, they would extend about 32 kilometres. Altos will be used throughout the 58 floors to define individual offices, collaborative workspaces and meeting areas.

Cheryl Wheatley, Teknion’s national sales manager, wall products, recalls the process of winning the project: “We embarked on the most comprehensive demountable wall evaluation ever undertaken and worked hard, collaborating with the tenant and renowned industry leaders – Foster + Partners, Gensler, Matthews Southwest Developments, and the Ledcor Group

of companies – to customize our product and create a comprehensive manufacturing and logistics plan.” Says Tim Wasley, Teknion’s wall product sales support manager, “When we won the project, we broke out the champagne, but then went straight to work because a project this size requires an extremely complex manufacturing and installation plan.”

Once the Bow is open for business, the reconfigurability of the Altos wall will quickly become apparent. Not only can Altos be easily moved, but the wall fascias themselves can be easily switched out to meet changing functional or aesthetic requirements. The inherent flexibility of Altos is a testament to why demountable walls have become the fastest growing segment of the contract furniture industry.

“The scope of the Bow project is unprecedented,” says Frank Delfino, Teknion’s president of worldwide markets. “This is not just about winning an initial massive contract. It’s about the beginning of a long-term relationship. For the next 25 years, as integral business partners, we will work with the tenants of the Bow to meet their evolving needs.”

Silent Gliss® by Brading Exceptional elegance describes the Silent Gliss Panel Vision system which is being re-introduced to Canada by Brading Fabrication. Whether the intention is a pure shading measure or both - Silent Gliss by Brading offers a made to measure solution on the highest quality and design levels.

The Bow, a curved tower in Calgary that makes use of a triangular diagrid system, is scheduled for completion next year. Throughout its 58 floors, Teknion is undertaking North America‘s largest installation of full-height, demountable walls.

The company’s Altos system will be used to define individual offices, collaborative workspaces and meeting areas.

www.bradingfabrication.com 416-488-6600

dimensions

premier issue premier numĂŠro

vol.1 2010

contents/sommaire departments features Planning ahead

8

What is succession planning and why is it important?

Qu’est-ce que la succession et en quoi est-ce important?

Educators in short supply

16

Greater demands on the profession translate into greater need for higher qualified educators.

Les demandes accrues envers la profession révèlent un besoin pressant de professeurs plus qualifiés.

On a professional note…

Sur une note professionnelle…

4 6

On your behalf…

En votre nom…

13 14

In conversation with…

En conversation avec…

21 22

Industry members/Membres de l’industrie

24

dimensions team

idc staff

idc board of management

Publisher: Susan Wiggins, Executive Director, IDC swiggins@idcanada.org

Susan Wiggins, Executive Director Sue Gravelle, Director, Professional Development Penny Tomlin, Manager, Communications Julia Salerno, Communications Coordinator Jenn Taggart, Manager, Marketing Debora Abreu, Marketing Coordinator Marc Sintes, Marketing Coordinator Irma Kemp, Executive Assistant

(BC) David Hanson, President (AB) Donna Assaly, President Elect (BC) Jenny Mueller-Garbutt, Past President (MB) Stephen Lamoureux, VP Finance (ON) David Gibbons, Secretary/Director At Large (AB) Adele Bonetti, Director (BC) Ada Bonini, Director (SK) Aandra Currie Shearer, Director (ON) Clinton Hummel, Director (NB) Monique Leger, Director (NS) Carolyn Wood, Director (MB) Michelle Du, Director At Large (NB) Jessica Gozdzierski, Director, Intern/Provisional (ON) Ron Hughes, Director, Industry (AB) Janice Smith, Director, Education (QC) Denis Chouinard, Provisional Director (ON) Trevor Kruse, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada Liaison

Editorial Director: Penny Tomlin, Manager, Communications, IDC ptomlin@idcanada.org Editorial Advisory Board (MB) Heather Anderson (SK) David Chu

Dimensions is the official magazine of IDC (Interior Designers of Canada) © 2010

(BC) Kate Holmes (ON) Ron Hughes (ON) Johane Lefrançois-Deignan (NS) Carolyn Maguire

canadian interiors team Publisher: Martin Spreer, Publisher, Canadian Interiors mspreer@canadianinteriors.com

Interior Designers of Canada C536–43 Hanna Avenue Toronto ON M6K 1X1 t 416.649.4425 tf 877.443.4425 f 416.921.3660 e dimensions@idcanada.org w idcanada.org

Art Director: Lisa Zambri, Canadian Interiors French translation: Pierre-Éric Villeneuve

idcanada.org

volume 1, 2010

n

dimensions

3

On a professional note…

Welcome to Dimensions, the official magazine of IDC (Interior Designers of Canada). For Ontario members, this is a familiar magazine that we’ve packaged differently, with more business-oriented content. For members from all other provincial associations, it’s a new Association resource that will be mailed direct to you four times a year.

What’s most exciting about the new Dimensions is our unique publishing partnership with Canadian Interiors. Under this first-of-its-kind agreement, all issues of Dimensions will be published inside Canadian Interiors magazine. As an IDC member, you will receive the added bonus of all eight issues of Canadian Interiors.

We hope you will enjoy reading this issue. One of our feature articles shares some member experiences with succession planning. For the boomers among us: do you have a plan? Our second feature looks at IDC members from across the country who have decided to change the course of their career from practitioner to educator, with a stop as student along the way. Such a decision imposes major lifestyle changes as well as a significant financial commitment but, surprisingly, it’s a change that is attracting many individuals. Could you be next?

Each issue of our magazine will include an interview with one of our promising young design professionals – the next generation. This issue features Jessica Gozdzierski, newly appointed intern director on IDC’s board of management. Finally, in each issue we will bring you the latest news from one of our internal departments whether it be advocacy, education, industry, professional development, or research. We want to ensure that you are kept informed about what your association is doing on your behalf. We may even pique your interest to become involved; we certainly hope so.

Dimensions is your member resource. We encourage you to read, learn and ponder. Oh yeah, and when you are done, pass it along to someone in your firm who isn’t a member of your provincial association. It is our hope they will realize what they are missing out on. If they don’t return it, don’t worry. We’ll be posting a copy of the magazine on our new website. We will create a virtual library of past issues so you can always refer back to articles and features whenever you need them for reference.

Enjoy. n

D a v i d Ha n son P re s i d e n t/ Pré sident

Susan Wiggins Executive Director/ Di rect ri ce

Check out IDC’s new website: idcanada.org

Your member resource...

4

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

idcanada.org

WWW.IMM-COLOGNE.COM WWW.LIVINGKITCHEN-COLOGNE.COM

THE INTERNATIONAL FURNISHING SHOW COLOGNE CREATING 18 – 23 SPACES JANUARY 2011 Ticket is also valid for the parallel trade show:

LivingKitchen

®

THE INTERNATIONAL KITCHEN SHOW COLOGNE Koelnmesse Inc., 8700 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 640 North, Chicago, IL 60631 Phone (773) 326-9920, Fax (773) 714 -0063, k.dickerson@koelnmessenafta.com · www.koelnmessenafta.com

Sur une note professionnelle…

Bienvenue à Dimensions, le magazine officiel des DIC (Designers d’intérieur du Canada). Pour les membres de l’Ontario, il s’agit d’un magazine connu que nous avons reconstitué différemment avec plus de contenu orienté dans le domaine des affaires. Pour les membres des associations des autres provinces, c’est une nouvelle ressource d’association qui vous sera envoyée par la poste quatre fois par année.

Ce qui est le plus excitant avec ce nouveau Dimensions, c’est notre récent partenariat de publication avec Canadian Interiors. Grâce à cette entente inédite, tous les numéros de Dimensions seront désormais publiés dans les pages du magazine Canadian Interiors. Les membres des DIC recevront en prime l’ensemble des huit numéros de Canadian Interiors.

Nous espérons que la lecture de ce numéro vous sera agréable. Un des articles incontournables raconte les expériences d’un membre dans la planification d’une succession. Pour les boomers parmi nous, la question demeure : avons-nous un plan? Un autre article jette un éclairage sur l’expérience de certains membres des DIC, en provenance de partout au pays, qui ont envisagé des changements dans leur carrière en passant de l’univers des praticiens à celui des éducateurs, revenant même parfois aux études durant le parcours. De telles décisions impliquent des changements de style de vie et un engagement économique, sans dire qu’étonnamment, cette option en attire plus d’un. Serez-vous le prochain?

Chacun des numéros de notre magazine comprendra un entretien avec l’un de nos jeunes designers professionnels prometteurs et appartenant à la génération montante. Ce numéro s’intéressera au parcours de Jessica Gozdzierski, récemment nommée directrice stagiaire au conseil d’administration des DIC. Finalement, dans chacun des numéros, vous trouverez les nouvelles les plus récentes concernant l’un des nombreux départements internes, qu’il s’agisse de la promotion et des droits, de l’éducation, de l’industrie, du développement professionnel ou de la recherche. Nous voulons être assurés que vous serez informés de ce que votre association fait en votre nom. Nous réussirons même peut-être à piquer votre curiosité au point de vous impliquer. Voilà ce que nous espérons.

Dimensions est votre ressource d’information en tant que membre. Nous vous encourageons à le lire, à en tirer profit et, pourquoi pas, à en parler! Lorsque vous l’aurez lu, faites–le circuler parmi les collègues de travail qui ne sont pas encore membres de votre association provinciale. Nous souhaitons qu’ils réalisent ce qu’ils ont manqué. S’ils ne vous le retournent pas, ne vous en faites pas; une édition du magazine sera publiée sur notre nouveau site Internet. Nous créerons une bibliothèque virtuelle qui comprendra les numéros publiés dans le passé. Cela vous permettra aussi de vous référer à des articles ou à des dossiers prisés, quand vous en aurez le besoin pour des fins de référence. Bonne lecture. n D a v i d Ha n son P re s i d e n t/ Pré sident

Susan Wiggins Executive Director/ Di rect ri ce

Visitez le nouveau site Internet des DIC à idcanada.org

Une ressource pour les membres...

6

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

idcanada.org

Space is best filled with passion.

Anyone can fill a space. It takes talent, vision, and passion to create the perfect environment, a unique blend of aesthetics and functionality. Like you, at Thermador we go to great lengths to achieve that balance. Take our latest innovation, the steam oven. With a choice of three cooking options—steam, true convection, and a combination of steam and convection—food stays moist on the inside and perfectly finished on the outside. Now that’s creative freedom.

thermador.ca

Thermador is a registered trademark of BSH Home Appliances Ltd.

Planning ahead What is succession planning and why is it important?

Qu’est-ce que la succession et en quoi est-ce important?

By Da v i d S t e i n e r

W

hat do we do with the company we’ve built? This is the first of many questions that owners and leaders of design companies need to ask themselves when looking at the succession plan of their firms.

To be specific, a succession plan is the map that will carry a company from one generation of ownership to another in a profitable and uninterrupted manner. There are many reasons to want a succession plan – continuing a legacy, to sell what you’ve built in order to bolster your retirement finances, to prevent the disbursement of staff. Every plan needs to start with a frank evaluation of the company’s position.

John Soter, a management consultant with the American firm ZweigWhite, a company that focuses on strategic planning, human resource issues, and business surveys, says a few crucial items need to be considered in succession planning. These include what you are selling, or passing along; who will buy it or lead it; and, identifying the difference between ownership and leadership. Owners have an equity stake in a company and when the time comes to do something else, will want to sell that stake off.

A company’s leaders can be staff that are guiding a firm’s business practice and may or may not have equity in the company. Interior design firms are often small and the business leaders are often financially involved as well.

“The time to start planning for succession is yesterday,” says Mr. Soter. “Whether you’re a five-person firm or 500, you need to identify what are the key positions, who are the key people to fill these positions, and what training will they need.” Since all your assets leave the building every night it is critical to have a plan in place for leadership and ownership transition.

8

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

Q

ue faire avec la compagnie que nous avons bâtie?

Voilà une des nombreuses questions que les propriétaires et les leaders de compagnies de design doivent se poser lorsqu’ils examinent de près le plan de la succession de leur firme. Plus spécifiquement, un plan de succession est le cadre qui permettra le passage d’une génération de propriétaires à une autre, de la manière la plus profitable et succincte. Il y a plusieurs raisons de vouloir planifier une succession : maintenir un héritage, vendre ce que vous avez dans le but d’augmenter vos finances pour la retraite ou prévenir le salaire des employés.

Chaque plan a besoin d’un point de départ avec une franche évaluation du positionnement de la compagnie.

John Soter, consultant et gestionnaire chez la firme américaine ZweigWhite, une compagnie spécialisée dans la planification stratégique, les questions de ressources humaines et les sondages dans le milieu des affaires, croit que quelques points d’importance doivent être considérés dans la planification d’une succession. Cela comprend ce que vous vendez ou léguez en héritage : qui l’achètera ou le dirigera; savoir identifier la différence entre le rôle de propriétaire et celui de dirigeant. Les propriétaires ont à cœur la question des actions de la compagnie, et lorsque le temps est venu d’agir, ils voudront parfois s’en départir. Un leader de compagnie peut être un employé qui sait veiller à la gouvernance des affaires de celle-ci. Il peut avoir ou ne pas avoir d’actions dans la compagnie. Les firmes de design d’intérieur sont souvent petites et ceux qui les gouvernent y ont souvent investi financièrement.

«Le temps de planifier une succession est hier,» dit M. Soter. «Que vous soyez une firme de cinq personnes ou de

idcanada.org

idcanada.org

volume 1, 2010

n

dimensions

9

Aodbt, a Saskatchewan architecture/ interiors firm of 50 staff, located in four cities, focuses on commercial and institutional work. They began organizing themselves a few years ago in preparation for the first wave of succession since the company was founded 30 years ago. New professionals were recruited to take on senior positions and existing staff were promoted into leadership roles.

Ownership was diversified among their architects, interior designers, engineers and senior technical people. Leslie Blacklock, the sole interior design principle, says, “this approach was unique and beneficial to the company’s success.” It gave a wider variety of principles a financial and leadership stake in the company’s future and, “prevented the business from fizzling out.” As Blacklock sees it, their current plan will take them through the next 10 years and will continually evolve. The process of planning started as a discussion among the company leaders as to what their mission statement was. From there they sought help from outside consultants who assisted in framing the company’s philosophy of how to move forward.

All companies should seek accounting and legal advice to help organize the business and its assets, and ascertain its true value. Ann Galvin, an accountant with business advisors SternCohen in Toronto, counsels business owners to answer a few simple questions: What’s a realistic time frame for the succession of this business? Would someone want to buy the business or buy into it?

Design firms that are big enough often carry goodwill and a strong reputation as part of their brand. Transitioning to new leadership can be easier for larger firms since clients expect to be serviced by a competent team of staff rather

“The time to start planning for succession is yesterday.”

«Le temps de planifier une succession est hier.»

10

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

500, vous devez identifier quelles sont les positions centrales, les personnes importantes qu’il faudra remplacer et de quel type de formation ils auront besoin.»

Considérant que tous vos employés quittent le bureau chaque soir, il est important d’avoir un plan pour la transition liée aux changements de propriétaire et de direction.

Aodbt, une firme de design d’intérieur et d’architecture de 50 employés situé en Saskatchewan, a des bureaux danss quatre villes et œuvre dans les milieux des institutions et du commerce. Ils ont commencé à s’organiser il y a quelques années et à préparer la première vague de successions puisque la compagnie a été fondée il y a 30 ans. De nouveaux professionnels ont été engagés pour combler certains postes seniors et des employés permanents ont obtenu des promotions à des rangs comportant plus de responsabilités. Le droit de propriété a été partagé entre les architectes, les designers d’intérieur, les ingénieurs et le personnel senior de soutien. Leslie Blacklock, la seule designer d’intérieur en titre, dit que «cette approche est unique et a aidé au succès de la compagnie». Cela donna des intérêts financiers et de direction dans le futur de la compagnie à une gamme plus variée de gestionnaires et «cela a empêché le ralentissement des affaires». Comme Blacklock voit les choses, le scénario de planification actuel est en place pour les dix prochaines années et il continuera d’évoluer. Ce processus de planification a débuté dans une discussion entre les leaders de la compagnie au sujet de leur mission. Depuis ce point de départ, ils ont cherché l’aide de consultants extérieurs qui les ont aidés à mieux définir la philosophie de la compagnie quant à l’évolution dans l’avenir.

Toutes les compagnies devraient chercher des conseils légaux et administratifs afin de mieux organiser leurs affaires et leurs biens, évaluer leur valeur véritable. Ann Galvin, une comptable dans la firme de conseillers en affaires SternCohen, à Toronto, invite les propriétaires de firmes à répondre à quelques questions incontournables : Combien de temps prendra la succession de cette firme? Quelqu’un serait-il intéressé à l’acheter ou à investir chez elle?

Les plus grosses firmes de design font souvent de leur forte réputation et de leur bonne volonté leur marque de commerce. La transition vers un nouveau leadership peut être plus facile pour les plus grosses compagnies, étant donné que les clients eux-mêmes espèrent être servis par une équipe d’employés compétents et non par un seul partenaire principal. «Vous pouvez chercher des gens plus riches ou plus jeunes avec l’énergie pour acheter la

idcanada.org

All companies should seek accounting and legal advice.

Toutes les compagnies devraient chercher des conseils légaux et administratifs. than one key partner. “You can seek out younger, richer people with the drive to buy the company, or you can work on joint ventures to see if personalities match, with the possibility of one buying the other,” Galvin says.

compagnie, ou vous pouvez travailler sur des projets en commun pour vérifier si les personnalités sont compatibles, dans l’éventualité que l’un achète l’autre », dit Galvin.

For small interior design companies led by a single, dominant partner, cultivating new work, let alone succession planning, without that person can be difficult.

When the primary work is residential, a company’s reputation can lie with the partner’s close project involvement. Ledingham Design Consultants, a Vancouver interior design office of nine, has encountered this dilemma. “Clients expect to see your face at all the meetings,” says principal Bob Ledingham, making it very challenging to give other staff a senior leadership role. A number of intermediate level staff, who may have been in a position to buy the company, left the business a few years ago. “I’ll probably just have to close the business and walk away,” says Mr. Ledingham. It is possible to transition the leadership/ownership of small offices, but it requires finding the right personality and integrating them into the senior position over a much longer period so that their presence carries the same weight as the founder and the value of the company brand is secure.

Pour des petites compagnies de design d’intérieur menées par une seule personne contrôlant les affaires, entretenir de nouveaux projets sans cette personne --- sans même parler de la planification d’une succession --- représente un défi.

Lorsque le champ de travail le plus important est le design résidentiel, la réputation d’une compagnie peut se situer dans l’engagement d’un partenaire au cœur même d’un projet. Ledingham Design Consultants, un bureau de design d’intérieur de Vancouver composé de neuf employés, a bien connu ce dilemme. «Les clients espèrent vous voir à toutes les réunions», dit le président, Bob Ledingham. Cela représente un défi lorsqu’on souhaite donner à d’autres employés un rôle comportant plus de leadership. Il y a quelques années, un certain nombre d’employés de niveau intermédiaire qui auraient pu être dans une position favorable pour acheter la compagnie ont quitté le bureau. «Je vais probablement fermer boutique et m’en aller» dit M. Ledingham. Il est possible de faire une transition des biens et du leadership dans les plus petits bureaux, mais cela prend les personnes adéquates et il faut savoir les intégrer dans des rôles plus seniors sur plusieurs années, pour faire en sorte que leur présence soit vue comme étant aussi importante que celle du fondateur et que la réputation de la compagnie ne soit en rien compromise.

A successful succession plan for any-sized design firm needs a lot of careful planning over a realistic timeline. It is ultimately a business decision that should reward those departing the company as well as those taking over the leadership, and secure the reputation of the firm among its clientele. n

Une planification de succession réussie, peu importe la grosseur de la firme, implique une organisation assidue sur une période de temps réaliste. En somme, cela représente une décision d’affaires qui doit satisfaire à la fois ceux qui quittent la compagnie et ceux qui en prennent le leadership, pour maintenir autant la réputation de la firme que celle de sa clientèle. n

idcanada.org

volume 1, 2010

n

dimensions

11

On your behalf…

One of the benefits of the new IDC is a stronger national voice for the interior design profession in Canada, a voice that advocates on behalf of the profession, making it better understood and more recognizable. Here are just a few examples of recent issues that staff and board/committee members have dealt with on your behalf...

Protecting your Right to Practise Interior designers not included in RFPs for interior projects In two recent RFPs issued by municipalities, interior design professionals were excluded from the list of eligible respondents. After IDC’s staff contacted the municipalities, one of them issued an addendum the next day, adding interior designers to their list. Unfortunately, the other municipality did not respond as favourably. So, we have requested a meeting with officials to inform them about the work of interior design professionals and will continue to pursue this matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

Helping you do Business Federal government issues new fit-up standards In the fall of 2009, the federal government issued a new technical reference manual for fit-up standards for government accommodations. IDC’s Government Relations Liaison Ester Ritchie and several IDC members were involved in numerous government committee meetings, to ensure the new standards were practical from an interior design perspective. Our goal in this and similar situations is to ensure that standards enforced by the government match the reality of how interior designers do business today on behalf of their clients.

Educating the Public Coverings features new, regular column by IDC Since June, IDC has had a regular column in Coverings, a national magazine for flooring manufacturers and suppliers. The magazine is published eight times a year and reaches more than 8,000 readers across the country. Our goal in writing this column is to ensure that we focus our advocacy efforts not only on our clients and stakeholders, but also on the industry partners that we work so closely with every day. It is important they too understand who we are—a unified, national voice for the profession.

Advocacy is one of the leading mandates of IDC. Our goal is to ensure that interior design practitioners are understood, utilized appropriately, and not restricted in any way from carrying on business activities. You can continue to monitor recent activities through the Association website at idcanada.org.

Need us to act on your behalf? Let us know. We’re here to help.

12

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

idcanada.org

creating better environments

photo: WB Products

simply better.

Time for a change

Reasons to choose MCT • low initial cost best in class life cycle cost

• no initial waxing

affordability + sustainability

MCT is occupancy ready

• best indoor environmental performance passes California CHPS 01350 for indoor air quality

• best environmental profile

with

most independent LCA-based environmental certifications

• best flooring performance low maintenance, high durability

1-866-661-2351 www.forboflooringNA.com www.floorcostcomparison.com info.na@forbo.com

www.twitter.com/forboflooringna

The standard for sustainable living©

en votre nom…

Un des avantages des nouveaux DIC est d’avoir une voix nationale plus forte pour le métier de designer d’intérieur au Canada, une voix qui sait promouvoir la profession en la rendant plus compréhensible et mieux reconnue. Voici quelques exemples de questions ou de problèmes vécus récemment par des membres employés ou siégeant sur un conseil d’administration.

Protégez votre droit de pratique Les designers d’intérieur sont exclus de certaines demandes de soumission pour les projets d’intérieur Dans deux récentes demandes de soumission fournies par des municipalités, des professionnels du design d’intérieur ont été exclus de la liste des répondants éligibles. Après que des employés des DIC ont contacté lesdites municipalités, l’une d’entre elles a écrit un addenda, le jour suivant, ajoutant sur sa liste les designers d’intérieur. Malheureusement, l’autre municipalité n’aura pas agi aussi favorablement. Nous avons alors exigé une rencontre avec l’administration pour lui donner de l’information au sujet du travail des professionnels du design d’intérieur, dans le but de continuer cette réflexion jusqu’à l’obtention de conclusions satisfaisantes.

Vous aider dans les affaires Le gouvernement fédéral dévoile ses nouvelles normes d’aménagement À l’automne 2009, le gouvernement fédéral a lancé un nouveau manuel de référence technique pour les normes d’aménagement des édifices gouvernementaux. Notre agent de liaison des DIC aux relations gouvernementales, Ester Ritchie, et plusieurs membres des DIC ont participé à des rencontres gouvernementales pour s’assurer que les nouvelles normes applicables étaient envisageables dans la perspective du design d’intérieur. Notre objectif dans cette affaire et dans des contextes similaires est de faire en sorte que les normes renforcées par les paliers gouvernementaux correspondent à la réalité présente de la culture du travail des designers d’intérieur et à celle de leurs clients.

Renseigner le public Le magazine Coverings invite les DIC à écrire régulièrement une nouvelle chronique d’information Depuis juin dernier, les DIC ont une nouvelle chronique d’information dans Coverings, un magazine national pour les fabricants et les fournisseurs de recouvrement de planchers. Le magazine est publié huit fois annuellement et rejoint plus de 8000 lecteurs à travers le pays. Notre objectif, en écrivant ce feuillet dans le magazine, est de faire en sorte que nos efforts de promotion servent non seulement nos clients et actionnaires, mais également les partenaires de l’industrie avec lesquels nous travaillons tous les jours. C’est aussi important qu’ils comprennent ce que nous sommes : une voix nationale unifiée au service de la profession.

La protection des droits est un des objectifs des DIC. Notre but est de nous assurer que les praticiens du design d’intérieur sont compris, consultés de manière adéquate et libres de pourvoir à leurs obligations et à leurs engagements professionnels. Vous pouvez continuer à suivre les activités les plus récentes grâce au site Internet de l’association en visitant le idcanada.org.

Vous avez besoin que l’on agisse pour vous? Faites-nous le savoir.

Nous sommes là pour vous aider.

14

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

idcanada.org

www.sylvania.com/LEDr

Sylvania lEDs. So innovative, they last longer than any design trend.

Created to last up to 50,000 hours, you’ll have a very long time to see how well SYLVANIA LEDs fit with your green design.

But these aren’t ordinary LED bulbs. They’re the result of years of innovative engineering that could very well make them the perfect light source. The beauty of SYLVANIA LED lamps is that they’re mercury-free, dimmable and provide up to 20x the life of halogens, with as much as an 80% savings in energy. And the light is remarkably pure and white, making it as appealing in commercial as it is in residential spaces. Or anywhere you don’t want to compromise light quality.

Visit www.sylvania.com/LEDr to see the latest in innovative SYLVANIA LED retrofit products.

SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW LIGHT

educators in short supply

By H e a th e r M a c K a y

T

a profession de designer d’intérieur est en transition.

Comme tous les domaines qui font face à des changements rapides, l’éducation de nombreux praticiens doit suivre la tendance pour demeurer à l’affût.

For interior design, developments in education are partly driven by academic institutions demanding higher qualifications beyond the diplomas and certificates that were adequate in the past. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) recently upgraded the minimum qualifications for practice to a bachelor’s degree. The result of this change is a shortage of qualified interior design educators across North America. If practitioners need a bachelor’s to practise, their educators need a master’s degree or higher to teach. There simply are not enough people out there who meet the new criteria.

En ce qui concerne le design d’intérieur, les développements dans l’éducation sont en partie stimulés par les institutions académiques et par leurs demandes de qualifications plus élevées, au-delà même des diplômes et des certificats qui se révélaient adéquats par le passé. Le Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) a récemment rehaussé, au niveau du diplôme de baccalauréat, les qualifications de base essentielles pour pouvoir pratiquer. Un tel changement provoque une carence marquée de professeurs qualifiés en design d’intérieur partout en Amérique du Nord. Si les praticiens ont besoin d’un diplôme de baccalauréat pour exercer leur métier, les professeurs doivent avoir une maîtrise ou un diplôme plus élevé pour enseigner. Il n’y a pas assez de gens formés dans le public pour satisfaire les exigences de ce nouveau critère.

But that’s not the whole story. As Lynn Chalmers, associate professor of interior design at the University of Manitoba, says, the profession is evolving beyond “handmaiden” status. “The scope of work has rapidly expanded and the nature of the industry has increased in complexity.”

Certain projects, for example an adolescent mental health facility, cannot be done without considerable, mindful study.

Brenda Snaith, co-coordinator of the Interior Design Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Vancouver, agrees. She says that today greater demands are made of interior designers, many related to health, safety and sustainability. Designers are expected to match the credentials of others on multidisciplinary teams. “You can’t do a LEED project without everyone being onside, trained and knowledgeable about the process” she says.

16

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

L

he profession of interior design is in a state of transition and, as with any field that faces rapid changes, the education of its practitioners has to move quickly to keep up.

Mais là n’est pas toute l’histoire. Comme le mentionne Lynn Chalmers, professeure de design d’intérieur à l’Université du Manitoba : «La profession a évolué au-delà de ce statut plus artisanal. L’envergure du travail a changé rapidement et la nature de l’industrie s’est pareillement complexifiée.» Certains projets, comme par exemple l’aménagement d’un immeuble de santé mentale pour une clientèle d’adolescents, ne peut se faire sans des études considérables et une investigation sérieuse.

Brenda Snaith, la cocoordinatrice du département de design d’intérieur de la polytechnique Kwantlen, de l’Université de Vancouver, est du même avis.

idcanada.org

Greater demands on the profession translate into greater need for higher qualified educators.

Les demandes accrues envers la profession révèlent un besoin pressant de professeurs plus qualifiés.

idcanada.org

volume 1, 2010

n

dimensions

17

Baby boomers are retiring, the demand for interior design is growing and therefore a new generation of design educators has become a priority.

Les baby-boomers prennent leur retraite, la demande pour le design d’intérieur est grandissante et, par conséquent, une nouvelle génération d’éducateurs dans le domaine du design d’intérieur est devenue la priorité.

Helen Evans Warren, associate professor and chair of the Department of Interior Design and Art History at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, also sees the changes, especially at bigger firms. “There are some real fundamental shifts I’m seeing, in practice and in education. Clients are more sophisticated and expect the integration of some level of research.”

All of these factors have contributed to the need for higher education in the profession. This challenge has been building for at least 10 years, according to Denise Guerin, professor and director of interior design at the University of Minnesota. With the current emphasis on research methods, evidence-based design, theory and human factors, she says, “there’s just no way we can continue to develop the best designers without an increased level of education.”

Some would disagree. Deborah Rutherford, operations leader and senior associate with HOK in Toronto, says a basic four-year education should be adequate for practice.

She has nonetheless arranged a leave-of-absence for 2011 to complete a master’s so she can consider teaching. Her goal is to teach part-time and practise part-time, partly because, as she says, “they’re desperately looking for teachers.”

Demographics are also playing a role in the dearth of educators. Baby boomers are retiring, the demand for interior design is growing and therefore a new generation of design educators has become a priority.

One other hurdle to jump is that the profession of educator suffers from an image problem. “They don’t think it’s interesting or sexy enough,” says Dana Tapak, professor of interior design at Ottawa’s Algonquin College.

18

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

Elle affirme que de nos jours, on demande davantage de designers d’intérieur et que plusieurs de ces demandes concernent des questions de santé, de sécurité et de développement durable. Les designers doivent avoir des compétences similaires aux autres équipes multidisciplinaires. «Il est impossible de mener à terme un projet LEED sans que tout le monde impliqué soit engagé, formé et connaisse le processus nécessaire», précise-t-elle.

Helen Evans Warren, professeure et directrice du département de design d’intérieur et d’histoire de l’art de l’Université Mount Royal, à Calgary, voit également ces changements, particulièrement chez les plus grosses firmes.

«Je vois des transformations fondamentales dans la pratique comme dans l’éducation. Les clients sont plus sophistiqués et exigent l’intégration d’un certain niveau de recherche.»

Tous ces facteurs ont contribué au besoin d’un niveau d’éducation plus élevée pour la profession. C’est un défi qui a débuté il y a au moins 10 ans, selon Denise Guerin, professeure et directrice du département de design d’intérieur de l’Université du Minnesota. Avec l’accent mis ces jours-ci sur les méthodes de recherche, le design plus empirique, la théorie et les facteurs humains, souligne-telle, «il est impossible de continuer à former les meilleurs designers sans une augmentation du niveau d’éducation.»

Certains ne seraient pas d’accord. Deborah Rutherford, une associée de niveau senior et chef des opérations de la firme HOK, à Toronto, dit qu’une bonne formation de base de quatre ans devrait suffire pour pratiquer. Elle s’est néanmoins décidée à prendre une année sabbatique, en 2011, pour compléter une maîtrise afin de pouvoir ultérieurement enseigner. Son but est d’enseigner et de

idcanada.org

pratiquer à temps partiel, justement parce que le milieu a désespérément besoin de professeurs, dit-elle.

La question démographique n’est pas sans jouer son rôle dans le sort des professeurs. Les baby-boomers prennent leur retraite, la demande pour le design d’intérieur est grandissante et, par conséquent, une nouvelle génération d’éducateurs dans le domaine du design d’intérieur est devenue la priorité.

But, she points out, “whether you’re sitting in a design office or a classroom,” the challenge to remain current and relevant is the same.

Ultimately, shifting into education is a personal challenge.

Chalmers recalls that, “it was assumed, because I could practise, I could teach. But once inside the academy, there’s a real responsibility to meet the aspirations of higher learning. It’s a very challenging transition.”

Different developments are appearing to cushion the transition. Bridging courses and distance learning mean a designer doesn’t need to put his or her life on hold. Snaith suggests practitioners interested in teaching start small on a contract basis, “to see if it’s what they think it is.”

In many ways, the current shortage of educators is simply a sign of the interior design profession maturing. There is an arc to anything, and as we raise the bar in the profession, we must raise the bar in education. For practitioners interested in making the move into education, Lynn Chalmers’ best advice is: “Find a reputable master’s program and get engaged,” because the shortage of qualified educators is real.

How does this apply to you, the practitioner? Whether you are just starting out, half way through your career and in need of a change, or on your way to retirement and looking for something part-time, if you think teaching is something that might be right for you, you should consider interior design education as a career. n

idcanada.org

Un autre défi à surmonter est le fait que la profession d’enseignant souffre d’un problème d’image. «Les gens ne pensent pas que cela soit intéressant ou assez sexy», dit Dana Tapak, professeure de design d’intérieur au Collège Algonquin, à Ottawa. Mais, ajoute-t-elle, «que vous soyez assis dans le bureau d’une firme de design ou dans une salle de classe» le défi de demeurer à l’affût et à la fine pointe des tendances reste le même.

En bout de ligne, faire ce passage vers le milieu de l’éducation est un défi personnel. Chalmers dit que «cela était assumé que je pouvais enseigner parce que je pouvais pratiquer. Mais une fois à l’intérieur du milieu académique, il y a une responsabilité réelle à satisfaire les exigences des études plus avancées. Cela est une transition stimulante».

De plusieurs manières, la carence actuelle de professeurs est simplement un indice que la profession de designer d’intérieur a mûri. Il y a des exigences pour toute chose, et tandis que nous élevons la barre dans la profession, il faut faire de même dans l’éducation. Pour les praticiens qui souhaitent faire le saut dans le milieu de l’éducation, le meilleur conseil que pourra donner Lynn Chalmers reste le suivant: «Trouvez un programme de maîtrise reconnu et engagez-vous pleinement», car la carence de professeurs qualifiés est réelle.

Comment cela s’applique-t-il à vous, praticien? Que vous commenciez à peine, que vous soyez a mi-chemin dans votre carrière et dans un besoin de changement, ou que vous soyez en route vers la retraite et à la recherche de quelque chose à temps partiel, si vous croyez que l’enseignement pourrait être une chose faite pour vous, vous devriez considérer l’enseignement du design d’intérieur comme carrière n

volume 1, 2010

n

dimensions

19

in conversation with…

Jessica Gozdzierski is not afraid to step out of her comfort zone.

B y J ul i a S a l e rn o

Jessica Gozdzierski knew she was interested in design at an early age. Her fascination with the profession grew with each story she heard about her grandfather, a Polish architect who passed away before she was born.

“My grandfather was my inspiration,” says Jessica. “I remember my mom and grandmother sharing stories about his work when I was younger. I was so fascinated with these stories that I decided to do more research and discovered that interior design is something I love to do.”

Jessica studied interior design at Sheridan College in Ontario. She remembers her second and third years as the most interesting, yet the most demanding. “It’s always nice to have a group of like-minded friends—ideas just bounce off the walls!” says Jessica about the dynamics of working in a team environment, something she enjoyed throughout her years of study.

As a design student, Jessica disliked clashing with her professors about a design—but she realizes it taught her a valuable lesson. “Your clients are not always going to see things your way and sometimes you are going to have to compromise. Although it may not be something you would do yourself that doesn’t mean it won’t look good or work well for the space.”

In her third year, Jessica’s co-op placement took her to New Brunswick. “My partner is from New Brunswick, so I figured, why not go there?” Jessica landed her placement with her first phone call and has practised in Saint John ever since. “I always joke that I came to New Brunswick for love and my job sealed the deal!” Jessica’s journey has taught her to not be afraid of stepping out of her comfort zone.

Liaising with clients, putting together finish boards, compiling 3D renderings, and attending site visits is what Jessica enjoys most about her job at DFS Inc., an architecture and interior design firm established in 1904. She loves the challenge of making the interior architecture flow and function at its best and figuring out what works well for a particular client and space.

Jessica is the intern representative on IDC’s board of management. She feels honoured to serve in this volunteer role and believes her appointment to this new position is an indication that younger designers will have a valued voice in the national Association, just as they have always had at the provincial level. n

Jessica’s advice to colleagues just starting their career:

“be confident in your abilities and offer

Name: Jessica Gozdzierski Age: 24 Years since graduation: Three Jobs since graduation: One Favourite design tool: Sketchup Least favourite tool: AutoCAD Goal for NCIDQ: Spring 2011

idcanada.org

innovative ideas. you bring a fresh perspective to the table, so speak up and be heard.”

volume 1, 2010

n

dimensions

21

en conversation avec…

Jessica Gozdzierski n’a pas peur de sortir de sa zone de confort.

Par J u li a S a l e rn o

Jessica Gozdzierski savait dès son plus jeune âge que le design l’intéressait. Sa fascination s’est accentuée au fil des histoires racontées sur son grand-père, un architecte polonais décédé avant sa naissance.

«Mon grand-père fut une inspiration, dit Jessica. Je me souviens que ma mère et ma grand-mère nous racontaient des histoires au sujet de son travail, quand j’étais jeune. J’étais tellement fascinée par ces histoires que j’ai décidé de faire des recherches, pour finalement réaliser que le design d’intérieur est une chose que j’aime faire.»

Jessica a étudié le design d’intérieur au collège Sheridan, en Ontario. Elle se souvient des seconde et troisième années comme étant les plus stimulantes de son parcours parce que les plus exigeantes.

«C’est toujours agréable d’avoir des amis qui ont des intérêts communs --- avec des idées qui ne cessent de proliférer! », dit Jessica au sujet des dynamiques et des environnements d’équipe, ces choses qu’elle a appréciées de ces années d’études.

Lorsqu’elle était étudiante en design, Jessica n’aimait pas la confrontation avec ses professeurs au sujet du design. Mais elle a appris une leçon importante en cours de route. «Vos clients ne voient pas toujours les choses comme vous les voyez et il faut parfois faire des compromis. Même si vous ne feriez pas la même chose qu’eux, cela ne veut pas dire que ce ne sera pas beau ou ne fonctionnera pas bien avec l’espace.»

Jessica a aussi quelques conseils à donner à ces jeunes qui débutent leur carrière quand elle dit :

«soyez confiants en vos aptitudes et offrez des idées

Durant la troisième année de ses études, un stage aura permis à Jessica de voyager jusqu’au Nouveau-Brunswick. «Mon conjoint est originaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, alors je me suis dit, pourquoi ne pas aller là?» Jessica a d’ailleurs obtenu un emploi sur-le-champ, lors de son premier appel téléphonique. Elle pratique depuis ce moment son métier à Saint-John. «Je ne cesse de dire que je suis au Nouveau-Brunswick pour l’amour et que mon travail a scellé toute l’affaire». Le parcours de Jessica lui a enseigné comment il est important de ne pas avoir peur de quitter ses zones de confort. Échanger avec des clients, voir à la finition de certains projets, colliger les résultats en 3D ou visiter des sites pour des fins professionnelles sont les choses que Jessica aime le plus dans son travail pour la firme d’architecture et de design d’intérieur DFS Inc., fondée en 1904. Elle aime les défis inhérents à la réalisation d’un intérieur architectural qui soit harmonisé et qui fonctionne pour le mieux. De surcroît, elle sait reconnaître ce qui conviendra, selon le client particulier ou le type d’espace.

Jessica est la représentante stagiaire au conseil d’administration des DIC. Elle se dit honorée de servir bénévolement et croit que ce nouveau défi professionnel est un indice que les jeunes designers auront une présence appréciée dans une association nationale, comme ils l’ont toujours eue au niveau provincial. n

innovatrices.

N’ayez pas peur de mettre des perspectives nouvelles sur la table et d’être

Nom : Jessica Gozdzierski Âge : 24 ans Années de pratique depuis la graduation : Trois Emplois depuis la graduation : Un Outil de design de prédilection : Sketchup Outil de design le moins apprécié : AutoCAD Objectif pour la NCIDQ : Printemps 2011

entendus.»

22

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

idcanada.org

Now all the alluring colors and patterns in Johnsonite® sheet products like Optima®, Granit™, Melodia™ and Aria™ are available in tile.

You can mix and match to create unique shapes and contemporary patterns for a floor that’s never been seen before. And that’s something our competition can’t offer. Finding the balance between spectacular and practical is not only possible, it’s the starting point. That’s what Balanced Choice is all about. So visit johnsonite.com and explore the possibilities.

Fresh-cut tile in virtually any arrangement.

That’s Balanced Choice.

industry members* Membres de l’industrie With thanks to our industry members for their continuing support of IDC. Avec nos remerciements aux membres de l’industrie pour leur soutien continu aux DIC. IDC/IIDEX partners DIRTT INSCAPE InterfaceFLOR Nienkamper Furniture and Accessories Inc. Tayco Panelink Ltd. Teknion Furniture Systems Ltd.

print partner Astley Gilbert

IDC/IIDEX national Bentley Prince Street

national Steelcase Canada Ltd. Tandus (Monterey, C&A, Crossley)

regional Haworth Ltd. Shaw Contract Group

provincial American Standard Benjamin Moore & Co. Ltd. Brigholme Interiors Group Crown Wallpaper + Fabrics Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Mabe Canada MARANT Construction Ltd. Miele Limited Odyssey Wallcoverings

industry allies 12 | 12 Decor Inc. Abet Corp.

Allsteel Applied Electronics Ltd. Arborite, Division de/of ITW Canada Archer Construction Group Ltd. ARCONAS Automated Interiors Avenue Road AYA Kitchens and Baths Ltd Bennett Mills Agency Berenson Inc. Blum Canada Ltd. Brack Electronics Brunswick Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Business Interiors by Stapels California Closets Canadian Contract Leathers Inc. Carpenters Union, Local 27 CAS Interiors Inc 24

dimensions

n

volume 1, 2010

CF + D | custom fireplace design CGC Inc. Click Lighting and Home Cohen & Cohen Full-Line Office Interiors Compass Flooring Ltd. Connect Resource Managers & Planners Inc. Contract Supply Corp. Ltd. Convenience Group Inc. Cooper Bros. International Coopertech Signs and Graphics Coreplan Construction Inc. Crate and Barrel Canada Cubo Design Inc. Custom Closet Organizers/Shelving Outlet Decorium DEKA Patio Cushions & Umbrellas Design Exchange Designers Walk Doctor TouchUp Dominion Rug Sales Ltd. DPI Construction Management Drechsel Business Interiors DWMartin Construction ECO HARVEST WOOD COMPANY Envirotech Office Systems Inc. European Hardwood Flooring Centre Fendi Casa, Canada Flux Lighting Inc. Forbo Linoleum Inc. Gallery 133 Geovin Furniture Inc. Go Resilient Canada Grand & Toy - Custom Business Interiors Grohe Canada Inc. Hardwoods Specialty Products Herman Miller Canada High Point Market Authority Holmes & Brakel Hunter Douglas-Div Window Fashions I. C. I. Paints Canada Inc. Interna Furniture Design Ltd. INVISTA/Antron Carpet Fiber J+J/Invision Johnson's Business Interiors Leber Rubes Inc. Louis Interiors Inc. LSI Floors M-Tec. Inc. MacCormack & Sons Ltd. Magnum Opus Maharam Mannington Commercial Meadowbrook Construction Inc. Metro Wallcoverings Inc.

Metropolitan Hardwood Floors (Eastern) Inc. Milliken & Company Missoni Home Canada MOEN INC. Momentum Group Office Source Inc. Olympia Tile International Inc. Optimal Performance Consultants Orion Hardware Corporation Para/General Paints Partition Components Inc. Paytrak Payroll Services PI Fine Art/ Posters International POI Business Interiors Prima Lighting Pro Source Wholesale Floor Coverings Toronto Rae Brothers Ltd. Renovations By Gray Restoration Hardware - Trade Robert Allen Fabrics Canada Rodgers Wall Materials Inc. Roya Manufacturing & Supply Canada Inc. Royal Lighting SCI Interiors Ltd. Shurway Contracting Ltd. Silk and Style By Dann Imports - 707585 Ontario Limited Silverwood Flooring Smart-Tech Systems Ltd. SOFA, Source of Furniture and Accessories Sound Solutions 1997 Inc. Stonequest Inc. Sun Glow Window Covering Products of Canada Ltd. SunProject Toro Inc. Taps Bath Centre The floor studio inc.

The Sullivan Source Inc. Threadcount Textile & Design Three H. Furniture Systems TORLYS Inc. Turco-Persian Rug Co. Ltd. Tusch Seating Inc. Vandyk Commercial Co. Ltd. Videoscope W Studio Ltd. Weavers Rug Gallery Whittington Furniture Mfg. Wilsonart Canada Workscape Interiors Ltd. Your Home Custom A/V Systems * As of July 22, 2010

idcanada.org

Reception Desk / Back Wall

Project: Bennett Jones LLP Designers: Frankland + Associates Photographer: Gumpesberger /Hafkenscheid

Svend Nielsen Ltd. is an established Designer / Manufacturer of the finest custom furniture and millwork. Drawing upon more than 60 years experience, we take great pride in crafting products that satisfy the most discerning eye. As a company we have a proven strength in working with designers and architects. We take your vision on paper and translate it into reality through a collaborative process in which our clients' needs are seen as paramount. Over the years we have demonstrated our ability to handle the most demanding projects, executing contracts on time and in a professional manner.

Custom Furniture, Millwork and Public Seating

55 Penn Drive, Toronto, Canada, M9L 2A6 Tel: 416-749-0131 Fax: 416-749-0414 Email: nielsen@svendnielsen.com Website:www.svendnielsen.com

Preview

Expert opinions Speaking up at IIDEX/NeoCon Canada.

—By Michael Totzke

Centre Avi Flombaum.

Clockwise from top Craig Dykers, Arik Levy, Paul Rowan, Janet Rosenberg, Jeremy Rifkin, Thomas Auer, Ajon Moriyama.

22 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

Through its keynote speaker series, along with a full roster of panels and seminars, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada – the country’s most comprehensive exposition and conference for the design, construction and management of the built environment – gathers together a good number of experts in various fields.

This year’s keynote speakers come from Paris; Bethesda, Maryland; New York City; and Oslo.

Arik Levy (Design) is best known for his furniture designs for global companies and for installations and limited editions.

Nevertheless, he insists, “The world is about people, not tables and chairs.” Levy is currently working in Paris with a 20-strong team of designers and graphic artists at L design. In his keynote, he will offer personal experiences from his unique perspective working in cross-lin-

guistic, multidisciplinary milieus.

Jeremy Rifkin (Environment), president of the Maryland-based Foundation of Economic Trends, is known for his provocative economic theories. Humanity, in his view, is poised to make a definitive shift away from its carbon-based geopolitical reality toward a new paradigm of sustainability, In his keynote, Rifkin will lay out his vision of the Third Industrial Revolution.

Avi Flombaum (Innovation) is the founder and chief product officer of New York–based Designer Pages, the social media platform that connects people in the fields of architecture and design. In his keynote, Flombaum will discuss how the Internet is changing the way we work, communicate and promote design; he will also offer suggestions for websites that will make a job and company more

efficient and productive.

Craig Dykers (Architecture) is the co-founder and senior partner of Norway’s Snøhetta, the architecture, landscape and interior design firm with offices in Oslo and New York. Highly acclaimed projects include the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo and the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. In his keynote, Dykers will show how cultural projects in the public realm are defined not merely by their program or facade, but also by the people who use them.

IIDEX panel subjects run the gamut from the aging face of the workplace to the state of the interior design profession.

One of the most intriguing panels is For Beauty’s Sake: Reclaiming Design’s Greatest Power – an exploration of the economic impact to beautiful design and its defining role in 21st-century innovation.

It brings together an all-star, cross-disciplinary group of Canadian experts: David Dixon of David Dixon Fashion; Arlene Gould, strategic director of the Design

Industry Advisory Committee; Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontirini Architects; Glenn Pushelberg of Yabu Pushelberg; Janet Rosenberg of Janet Rosenberg + Associates; and Paul Rowan, co-founder and VP of Umbra.

The Green Building Festival, an essential part of IIDEX, offers an outstanding series of seminars.

A highlight is A River in the Desert: Saudi Arabia’s Wadi Hanifah Restoration Project with Ajon Moriyama and George Stockton. Moriyama is a managing partner at Moriyama & Teshima Architects, which is leading the master plan and implementation of the ground-breaking naturalization and bioremediation of a 120-km stretch of heritage river running through the heart of Riyadh; Stockton heads the firm’s landscape group. Together they will show how both the river and related ecology have been restored, creating a thriving system of parks and naturalized green spaces for the use and enjoyment of the people of Riyadh.

Another highlight is Masdar Development: Climate Engineering for a Carbonneutral City with Thomas Auer. Auer is the managing director and partner of Transsolar, a climate-engineering firm with offices in Stuttgart, Munich and New York.

He has worked on notable projects around the world, including the Winnipeg office tower for Manitoba Hydro, considered one of the most energy-efficient high-rise buildings in North America. He will discuss that building, along with the carbon-neutral city of Masdar, and Abu Dhabi.

Held at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, the IIDEX/NeoCon expo runs Sept. 23 and 24, while the conference runs from Sept. 22 to 25. c I

The GTA’s best kept secret for designers and decorators

A state-of-the-art 30,000 square foot custom workroom Draperies, bedding, pillows, headboards, in and outdoor cushions and much, much more...

Visit our

Quality Home Fashions 301 Flint Road, Toronto Henrik Londen 416 633 3043 ext 206 sales@londeninc.com

www.londeninc.com

ft 5,000shsoqwroom

r designe site on

To receive your copy of all that’s new in sinks from Elkay, please contact Novanni Stainless Inc. at the following: Email: info@novanni.ca Tel: 905-465-9858 or 1-800-661-1795 Fax: 905-465-9865 or 1-800-361-2176 Website: www.novanni.ca

1968 Social environmental movements take hold.

WHO SHAPES THE FUTURE OF GREEN DESIGN? You do.

1978 Earth Day brings awareness to Earth’s need for continual care.

What was once a quiet evolution has become a revolutionary force. Your desire for sustainable design has helped redefine the meaning of green. Since we began making nora® rubber flooring over 50 years ago, we’ve evolved with you.

1988 1,000 communities in America initiate curbside recycling.

Your concern for the environment continues to create new standards for designing in harmony with nature. It is why we continually explore ways to blend the best of technology with greener thinking.

1998 EPA launches voluntary programs for energy, water, indoor air quality, waste and smart growth.

It starts with you.

You and your challenges.

You and your world.

You and nora.

2008 U.S. Green Building Council member organizations grow to 15,000.

800-332-NORA www.nora.com/us/green25

Show Biz

Happy days An upswing in the economy and contract furnishing industry made for an optimistic NeoCon. —By Michael Totzke

SOUGHT AFTER Allsteel’s new Seek is a durable, versatile and comfortable – not to mention attractive – chair designed for training rooms, cafés and other multi-purpose spaces. It offers three storage options: it can be stacked; nested; or combined stack/nested. The towers of stored chairs that result are secure, completely mobile and pleasantly sculptural in appearance. Seek’s frame is available in a silver or black finish, with a polymer seat and back in a choice of eight colours (a mesh back is a further option).

The chair can be ordered with or without arms, with multi-surface casters or glides. allsteeloffice.com

“Happy days are here again / The skies above are clear again.” By mid-afternoon on the first day of NeoCon, the lyrics to the old familiar tune – the tune that helped people through the darkest days of the Great Depression – were running around in my brain. A spirit of hope and buoyancy, so absent from last year’s show, had taken over the venerable Merchandise Mart. And though it was far too early to proclaim, “Your cares and troubles are gone / There’ll be no more from now on,” it was clear that the worst was over.

To those of us returning, it was also clear that attendance at North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors was up (we later learned that 41,000 industry personnel had attended, a 10 per cent increase from 2009). More than 700 showrooms featured their products in one million square feet of space. The Best of NeoCon competition netted 340-plus entries, and thousands of products were presented at the show.

In retrospect, the first product I saw, at a special preview the night before the show, turned out to be the signature introduction of this cheery NeoCon: the brash and brilliant Memphis Under Foot collection of carpet tile from InterfaceFLOR. As its designer, David Oakey, puts it, “As the world transforms and evolves and the economy slowly makes a comeback, people are demanding sustainable products made by responsible companies that are both beautiful and joyful. Let’s try to move past all this gloom and doom.”

Other introductions that put a smile on my face include Allsteel’s Seek, a chair that makes an art out of storage; the crisp Cahoots line of modular furniture from Keilhauer; and Steelcase’s node classroom seat, which made me long to be a college student again.

NeoCon 2011 will run at the Merchandise Mart from June 13 to 15.

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 25

1

ALL SYSTEMS GO

2

3

4

1-CONFERENCE CALL Designed by Scott Wilson and Minimal for Coalesse, the SW_1 conference collection offers an alternative to the generic conference room. It includes a loweredheight table and a lounge chair, which together create a hybrid collaborative space that’s part conference room, part lounge. Rounding out the collection are standard and occasional tables; low- and high-back lounges; and conference-height chairs. Made of aluminum and steel, SW_1 is almost 100 per cent recyclable. coalesse.com

2-EASY DOES IT For their first foray into the furniture industry, the principals of Antenna Design – Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger – have created a remarkably refined 26 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

system called Antenna Workspaces, which allows for quick transitions from individual to group work. The sleek and deceptively simple collection of desks, tables, storage units and screens can be combined and recombined in a seemingly infinite number of ways. knoll.com 3-FORWARD MARCH Allsteel’s latest addition to Stride (its versatile platform for furnishing every kind of workplace interior) is Stride Benching, designed in collaboration with Mitch Bakker and his firm Ida Design. Its horizontal plane, punctuated by the vertical form of storage, extends 15 feet without any bracing other than at each end, where the support structure is masked by finely scaled and faceted legs.

With the addition of an inboard support

leg, the bench is completely customizable and can be specified at longer lengths. allsteeloffice.com

4-SPINE-TINGLING CITE is the latest product from Quebec company Groupe LaCasse. The freestanding collaborative furniture system is organized around a storage spine, where components define the individual’s space while the low profile encourages interaction. Main surfaces are of high-performance themofused laminate; translucent panels are used as screens and back panels of storage units. groupelacasse.com

5

6

SITTING COMFORTABLY

7

8

5-STUDENT’S PET Steelcase calls node, its first classroom seating product, “an active learning classroom solution” – a dull phrase for what is actually a cleverly designed chair.

The swivel seat allows the student to easily rotate and view information being shared throughout the classroom. The open seat design accommodates a change of posture and positions, offering comfort in multiple settings; while the mobile base offers the ability to move back and forth from lecture mode to team-based learning.

Node’s base and arm are designed to hold the student’s backpack and personal items. steelcase.com 6-VERY MUCH Designed by Michael Welsh and Nicolai Czumaj-Bront of the Haworth Design

Studio, Haworth’s newest task chair is part of the Very family. It offers the industry’s only asymmetrical lunar support along with supporting mesh and a fully functional 4D arm. It comes in seven mesh colours and two trim colours (black and fog); the base may be painted, polished or plastic. Three different arm styles are available. haworth.com 7-IN MOTION It took German company Wilkahn five years to develop the ON swivel chair. At its core is three-dimensional synchrosupporting kinematics with swivel points that precisely follow the positions of and scope of movement in the knee and hip joints. By pressing two buttons to rapidly adjust the counter pressure, ON is ready to go. Armrests, backrest height and

optional seat-depth adjustment can also be altered while seated without additional levers. Not only is ON easy to operate, it’s also exceptionally easy on the eye. wilkahn.com

8-NO TWO ALIKE Parisian designer Noé Duchafour-Lawrance has created a handsome “21st-centry modern” chair for Bernhardt Design.

Corvo is produced by employing Old World manufacturing techniques; it is hand-shaped and -sanded (using 15 different carving tools), from solid American walnut and sealed with a natural oil finish. Each chair is slightly different, reflecting the personality of the artisan who made it. bernhardtdesign.com

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 27

1

BIRTH OF THE COOL

2

3

1-IN CAHOOTS Vienna-base design trio EOOS has come up with the Cahoots line for Keilhauer.

Based on a modular concept, each piece has its individual function, but all pieces can be combined to create flexible lounge landscapes. Sleek and sophisticated, Cahoots encompasses side and lounge chairs, sofas, sectionals and tables. Some elements are lightly scaled, movable pieces, while others are larger, solid pieces than can define a space. keilhauer.com

2-MODULAR ART The dna collection of lounge seating and tables – by Acer Design in conjunction with Teknion’s in-house design team – was created to meet the need of today’s collaborative spaces for increased flexibil28 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

ity. Modular units are reconfigurable by the user depending on the size and needs of the group; optional bolsters may be positioned left, right or centre on the bench. Integrated and freestanding tables provide support for work, access to power, and laptop use. Upholstery and veneer options allow for a customized look. teknion.com

3-SENSE OF OCCASION “A successful occasional table is the equivalent of a design sound bite: it should be clear, concise and easily understood.” Such are the qualities Bernhardt Design assigns to its Curio table, designed by Claudia and Harry Washington – and quite rightly. Crafted in solid walnut or maple, Curio features a bevelled top, with a delicate profile, atop

gently tapered legs. It’s available in three different sizes, in a variety of natural wood finishes or bright lacquered colours; tops come in wood, glass or Corian. bernhardtdesign.com

5

DEVELOPING A PATTERN 4a

6

4b

4-MAHARAM MATES Park Avenue–based textile giant Maharam never disappoints. Among new introductions is Exaggerated Plaid (a), the fifth textile by Paul Smith in collaboration with Maharam Design Studio. Moving beyond his signature stripes, the British fashion designer has created a modern take on his Scottish heritage. In his three distinct wool plaids, bands of goldenrod, sky, crimson and fuchsia punctuate heathered grounds of charcoal, chocolate and loden green. Centric (b) was designed by Canadian graphic artist Marian Banjes. Taking its inspiration from the mandala of Hindu art, Centric appears fluid, as if the pattern was rendered in wet ink, a subtle metallic lustre accentuating the effect. Seven vivid

tone-on-tone combinations are available, among them mustard (shown) copper and ruby. maharam.com 5-HIGH RES Berman Graphics, a new program from Vancouver’s ever-innovative Joel Berman Glass Studios, features several innovative processes to translate graphics and other images onto glass surfaces. These include Print, ceramic frit inkjet printing (shown); Laminated, printed foil beneath sheets of glass; and Screen, ceramic frit ink screenprinting. jbermanglass.com 6-IN VOGUE Rodarte, the cool and au courant American fashion house of Kate and Laura

Mulleavy, has created five upholstery and three drapery patterns for Knoll Luxe, the luxury brand from Knoll. Each design in the collection is named in homage to the pair’s favourite poets. The Rodarte Collection represents Knoll Luxe’s first introduction of drapery: Auden has a shaded effect created using digital printing on a woven raffia ground; Emerson features a series of embroidered studs on sheer ground; and Parker comprises various textured threads suspended between layers of gauze. knoll-luxe.com

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 29

1c

1a

1b

MAGIC CARPET RIDES

2

3

1-BACK TO MEMPHIS Inspired by the 1980s Memphis movement, led by Milanese designer Ettore Sottsass, David Oakey of David Oakey Designs has created Memphis Under Foot for InterfaceFLOR. This unabashedly extroverted collection includes the colourful stripes of Beale Street and the bold black and white lines of Union Avenue (a); a library of black and white patterns called Memphis to Milan and Back (b); and the graphic squiggles of Doodle (c). All styles are made with fibre created with post-consumer content. interfaceflor.com 2-PLUSH LIFE Designed by Cresta Bledsoe for Milliken, the Palisades Collection offers plush weight and makes use of high-lustre fibre

30 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

that is super sheared to expose organically place loops – taking commercial broadloom to a new level of nuance and richness. Five designs are available in a range of 24 colours. milliken.com 3-TURNING JAPANESE Tandus Flooring’s Urban Nature collection comprises five patterns rooted in historic Japanese art and architecture – patterns that interpret the emotions and cultural nuances of Japan’s rural countryside (from cherry blossoms to terraced rice fields). They coordinate across scale, free-form figures and geometry to allow intuitive transitions when used together.

Urban Nature is available as modular carpet (in various sizes) or Powerbond, a hybrid resilient sheet flooring. Tandus.com

Designer Brands for Kitchen & Bath

We love great design.

Make wellness a way of life for you and your family with the luxurious Mr.Steam steambaths and towel warmers.

Mr.Steam’s innovative Steam Genie™ activates your steam generator and pre-heats the steam bath remotely, at the touch of a finger. Start up your steam room from anywhere within the home. Whether you are in the master bedroom or in the garage, simply click on your Steam Genie™ and voila’, your steam generator has been activated.

Here’s to you…

mo

This fall Canadian Interiors will toast the winners of the 13th annual Best of Canada Awards. In November we’ll be announcing the lucky winners in our second annual awards issue and showing them off in a special Best of Canada exhibit, both of which will launch with an exclusive celebration at the Design Exchange, in Toronto.

Join us in person, or on the page.

Watch for event details and news at canadianinteriors.com

InterlockingRock DIMENSIONAL SURFACES

new!

Meet Tucker™, the rst in our new RockSoft™ series of panel designs; seamless fabric-like surfaces in cast rock. Get cozy with tufted leather in any color you want, but hard as a rock!

TUCKER™ ©2010 modularArts, Inc. Canada Patent No. 2489679.

And now introducing:

BuildingBloks

™

Our new modular wall blocks work with standard steel studs to create rock-solid, full-round sculptural walls of any size.

Patent pending. Design shown: WEAVER™ and LILY™

ulara r rtsm

odulara r rtsmodulara r rtsmodu

®

new!

new!

modulararts

®

(206) 788-4210 | www.modularArts.com Made in the USA, sans hubris.

Design shown: DUNE™ ©2003 modularArts, Inc.

naturally... durable, safe & healthy!

Good Work

Come together Tenants, landlords, designers and architects teamed up to create a new office building that amalgamates Telus employees from across Toronto. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;By Erin Donnelly

34 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

Photography by Shai Gil

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 35

36 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

Overleaf Architects &Co consulted on Kasian’s design of Telus’s third-floor lobby. The telecommunications company had requested a space that would “let customers and employees know they were in a Telus space,” which is accomplished here with subtle inclusion of company branding.

Below The building itself was tailored to work for the company, to create a “future friendly” workplace that supports physical and psychological well-being, not only for employees who fall into Telus’s Resident and Mobile worker category, but even for the Remote workers. Opposite Floor-to-ceiling starfire glass walls, created with ceramic fritting at the top and bottom for reducing heat transfer, allow ample natural light to penetrate each floor. A sun-tracking system on the building’s roof controls the blinds automatically.

Office projects can be something of a catch 22. Sure, any designer worth their salt can create a great reception space or lobby. A beautiful desk, an interesting wall feature behind, maybe something cool hanging above, pick some finish materials, throw in a chair or two and you’re done.

But actual workspaces always present a challenge. Office space is almost always leased and rarely owned, so the buildings are generic and not built for the specific needs of a company and its workforce.

Most office towers you’ll find in this country were constructed for a very different world than the one we work in today. “Office buildings haven’t really changed in the last four decades,” says Dermot Sweeney, of &Co Architects (formerly Sterling, Sweeney, Finlayson), describing how they were designed for offices where the most advanced technology might have been a Xerox machine.

“The generic response from a landlord is based on what was common 40 to 50 years ago and it’s no longer acceptable.” Sweeney had a significant role in both the

architectural and interior design of the new Telus House tower in downtown Toronto. Despite the fact that this tower is, like so many others, a leased space, it is anything but typical.

Almost from its inception this building was something different. Toronto firm Adamson Architects had originally designed the base building and when the developer, Menkes, began negotiations to bring Telus in as the main tenant, it was Sweeney who was set with the task of reshaping the building to suit the telecommunications company. Reshaping to suit the tenant? Not the way these things are usually done, but it’s the way Sweeney likes to do them. For years now the architect has worked simultaneously with tenants and landlords. “We’ve been doing this since 1998. The first one was Microsoft,” he says. “We looked at how to make a better office building that offers opportunities to the tenant and landlord. We’ve seen what tenants want. Most buildings, the way they are now, don’t work for a modern company. It costs a fortune just to

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 37

move a work station.” And it’s true, few office buildings are equipped to not only accommodate, but to take advantage of the technology we use today, and the rapid pace at which it changes.

So Sweeney got to work making adjustments to the buildings design to better address Telus’s brand and incorporate its “Future Friendly” corporate workplace concept, developed for the company by its national design partner, Kasian, who were concurrently working out the interiors. The multidisciplinary firm had been working on Telus projects for more than 20 years, but this was to be the biggest of the company’s spaces they had done.

In the initial stages of the project, Kasian had no Toronto office, and brought in Figure3 as a sub-consultant to bridge the gap in the months before Kasian expanded into Ontario. Kasian’s design came together just a step behind Sweeney’s, as the building’s design was tweaked, with the addition of a dark charcoal podium that cuts though the building, creating opportunities for unique design elements in the interior and three generous green spaces atop the box, where it juts out on opposite sides of the tower. All the changes were designed to ensure that Telus would get a building that performed the way they wanted and could permit the kind of corporate culture they wanted. The company also wanted a LEED silver building, but the architects one upped them and delivered what is soon expected to certified LEED gold.

Inside, Sweeney incorporated an 18-inch raised floor that houses all the ductwork, wiring and cabling, making it possible for workstations to be easily reconfigured and for employees to control the temperature in individual spaces, via vents on the floor. The architect’s other contributions to the interior, included designing the building’s shared grand lobby, and, on the mezzanine level above it, the soon-to-be-completed Innovation and Hosting Centres. He also advised on Telus’s third-floor reception space, which was largely shaped by the long window that runs behind the reception desk, a nifty little feature he had included in his charcoal box.

The box provided Kasian with a cue for the first part of the interior that you will see when you enter the company’s tower spaces. The entire core, i.e. the elevator lobbies, feature the same charcoal black, a 38 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

perfect contrast to spaces beyond and their neutral palette. The employee floors’ subtle, pale scheme is punctuated with pops of colour, largely provided with skilfully implemented branding elements and also by splashes of sunny orange on shelves, wall and the Steelcase furniture.

The muted tones also emphasise the brightness of the spaces, which are wrapped in floor-to-ceiling starfire glass windows, along which the corridors run, offering natural light to all employees.

Common spaces, like the “café” (a.k.a. lunchroom), as well as the little “snack areas” on each floor, are also positioned to allow employees to take advantage of the light and views.

Kasian partner Crystal Graham (IDA)

says though the team involved was big (oh, did I mention that while all this was going on that Burdifilek was also inserting a small retail space on the main floor?) the process was surprisingly smooth. “Telus was really good with managing such a big team. It was great to be able to collaborate with the architects and the result was a really integrated design. The whole building is so cohesive….You can design a lovely space and that’s great, but when you can design something that really works for people, for the client, the customer and the company, that’s really something.” c I

Opposite and below The dark charcoal Kasian included in the employee floors’ colour palette relates to the podium that &Co added to the building’s design. The podium created the opportunity to add three green roofs to the building, appropriate for Telus, whose branding incorporates flowers, grasses and other greenery. Right &Co’s design of the building’s shared grand lobby allows the city’s PATH system of underground walkways to flow through. The photographic mural by Michael Awad was chosen to reflect this feature.

Its companion piece, a 3-D light sculpture designed by David Rokeby, is titled Pixel Matrix; its 30,000 LEDs will constantly change, mirroring the movement of passersby.

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 39

Good Work

Food for thought At the heart of this research consultancy’s Toronto office, designed by Figure3, is a kitchen for eating, meeting and hanging out.

—By Leslie C. Smith

Photography by Steve Tsai – stevetsaiphotography.com

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 41

42 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

Opposite above In The Kitchen, glass garage doors conceal two small boardrooms; when opened up, the communal space expands to 1,600 square feet, looking back towards the counter area. Opposite below The office’s bright colour scheme, natural light and airy eclecticism help stimulate creative thought processes. Below It’s not all Guitar Hero fun and board games in In-sync’s little library – you can actually read as well. The pink intensity of the large Nur fixture overhead neatly offsets the strength of the feature wall colour.

Hung prominently to one side of the reception desk, In-sync Consumer Insight’s six corporate values read as follows: Encouragement, Innovation, Passion, Teamwork, Commitment, Food.

You are permitted a double-take on that last item. “ ‘It’s all about the food’ is one of our core values,” says Amanda Ram, in good-humoured defence. CFO of the international research consultancy firm specializing in bio-pharmacy branding, she is touring its newly completed Toronto office beside Darryl Balaski, one of the team leaders from design group Figure3.

Fittingly, we start at The Kitchen, the 1,100-square-foot hub at the centre of a concentric circle of offices, meeting rooms and work stations. A large, airy space, it is set with long, butcher-block tables and long-legged chairs, stainless steel appliances and plenty of counter space. A ranked series of huge Nur hanging fixtures cast an intriguingly vibrant pink glow below. It’s here that company colleagues commingle on a regular basis, eating together, meeting together, and

generally hanging out together.

If that invites comparison with house parties where all the guests end up in the kitchen, it’s no coincidence, according to interior designer Chris Wright (ARIDO, IDC), a partner in Figure3 and head of the design team.

“In-sync’s work philosophy is very creative and based on a holistic synergy,” Wright says. “Their people do highly concentrated work on their own, but come together quite often to collaborate and brainstorm on projects. It’s a very social company.”

What more natural for a firm that values food so much than to make the eating area the central point, where, like a Renaissance vision of urban utopia, all roads – or in this case, office walkways – lead to?

The Kitchen’s democratic levelling extends to the work areas encircling it.

None of the four senior partners possess a fancy private office. Everyone – administrators, consultant-strategists, social scientists, quantitative researchers, project managers, creative designers and writers – gets approximately the samesized personal space. Each of these spaces incorporate a feature wall that the occupant can customize from a palette of four corporate colours: fuchsia, turquoise, grey, and In-sync’s signature Deep Orange (which also happens to be the name of the company’s ad hoc rock band). Those same colours are echoed in the rectangular, crisscross swaths of carpet throughout, as well as the free-standing, rotund book pillars clustered around a collaborative teaming area.

Individual offices are partitioned off by frosted-glass sliding doors enlivened by orange laminated “thought bubbles,” on which the occupant can write particulars of their current project, everything from relevant points to off-beat factoids. Many side walls, including several in the Kitchen, are also made with washable writing surfaces that allow quick ideas to be sketched out and explored. It seems that every urban area needs its own form of graffiti.

A further continuation of the theme of democratic cityscape is evident in the way offices are separated from the floor’s broad window banks by a carpeted corridor, thereby granting the “right to light” to all, instead of just a few lucky or highly placed employees. Rectangular September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 43

44 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

Opposite Figure3 widened two corridors, turning them into micro-meeting spaces, complete with wash-’n’-write side partitions. Below In-sync’s signature Deep Orange 360-degree circles are imposed on gauzy bands behind the reception desk.

The firm’s six corporate values are posted against the right-hand wall.

“peek-a-boo” glass panes, however, slice a line through these offices, offering both natural light to their occupants and a literal window into their activities.

Random scribblings, impromptu meetings, outside light, bright colours, the ability to personalize one’s own space, and even down to the jars of candy, board games and Guitar Hero set-up in the library area – all these are more than just fun office attributes. Singly and combined, they serve to stimulate the right side of the brain, firing off the creative synapses and, ultimately, engendering innovative ideas.

And then everything comes together, like protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus, meeting in the Kitchen, or what Darryl Balaski calls “the centre-core brain trust.”

The concept of making an employee eating area the main focus of an office is not only highly unusual, it can only really be done with a company like In-sync, which rarely receives client visits (although one suspects that those who do drop by would be quite envious of the

environment). It even took In-sync’s employees a little time to get used to the whole holistic thing.

“Initially it was a shift, culturally speaking,” says Amanda Ram. “From a corporate perspective, we’ve got a lot of square footage invested here. But the collaborative areas really work. People do use the Kitchen. Like [our firm], it’s functional yet captures our sense of passion and fun.”

It’s also not a bad little place to nosh. cI

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 45

Civic pride Plant Architect and Shore Tilbe Irwin give Toronto City Hall the garden it deserves.

—By John Bentley Mays

The curving towers, podlike council chamber and sweeping lines of Toronto’s City Hall long ago earned the modernist complex, by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, a cherished place in the city’s imagination of itself. Despite the popularity of the overall scheme, however, Revell’s daring artwork always had one weak spot: the flat roof of the podium from which the 48 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

towers rise. This 36,000-square-foot vastness of grey concrete pavers was dull and uninviting, and it lacked the drama that distinguishes the project as a whole.

It is certainly dull no longer. With the recent opening of the garden that covers most of the podium roof, a new, vivid park has emerged in the heart of the city.

Vibrant colours – yellow and orange, red

and purple – splash the green expanse throughout the growing season, while pathways and seating areas crafted by Toronto designer Adrian Blackwell invite visitors to stroll and linger amid the plantings.

The new green roof is the $2.3-million first phase of a larger revitalization of City Hall and the adjacent Nathan Phillips Photography by Steven Evans

The garden covers most of the flat podium roof from which the curving towers and podlike council chamber of Toronto’s City Hall rise. It has been built tough to endure the harsh heat of the sun and the cold of winter. The designers have been mindful of the strong east-west orientation of the buildings and site, and have laid out the garden to align with this directionality.

Square that is expected to total $42.7 million. Designed by the Toronto-based firms of Plant Architect and Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, the garden has been built tough to endure the harsh heat of summer and the cold of winter, and to enhance permanently the square and building going forward.

“The starting point for this entire

project came from thinking about the meaning of civic space and where civic spaces came from,” Christopher Pommer, principal at Plant Architect, says. “It reinforces the idea that Revell put there in the first place, about having a major public open space with a very direct formal relationship with an exposed council chamber. This is the first time a

council chamber was not buried in the building, but rather held up in front of the public square. A major part of the strategic plan for the square is to reactivate those spaces, to make more and better connections to the elevated walkways, visually and physically, to open up that incredible space underneath the two towers and the council chamber. I think September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 49

“The starting point for this civic project came from thinking about the meaning of civic space,” says Plant Architect’s Christopher Pommer. “It reinforces the idea that [architect Viljo] Revell put there in the first place, about having a major public open space with a very direct and formal relationship with an exposed council chamber.” The basic plant of the scheme is sedum, a low, hardy succulent well suited for installation on dry, windy rooftops.

that’s where the impulse to turn up the volume on that podium roof came from.”

The basic plant of the scheme is sedum, a low, hardy succulent that comes in a large variety of colours and textures and is well suited for installation on dry, windy rooftops. Over the last winter, this material was sprouted in small, shallow plastic trays of growing medium, and 50 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

then, come spring, it was moved, containers and all, to the roof. The result is a fine rectangular grid of sedum, tall grasses and many perennial flowering species chosen for their colours, varying heights and different temperaments regarding sunshine and shadow. Pre-growing has meant that the garden is well rooted and ready for visitors in its very first summer.

An irrigation system will nurse the plants along during the garden’s first two years, Pommer says. After that, rainwater should be enough to keep it going.

The designers have been mindful of Revell’s strong east-west orientation of the City Hall buildings and site, and have laid out the garden to align with this directionality. It has also been crafted

with urban amnesia in view: the roof has been closed to the public for the past 15 years, and many citizens have forgotten that there is anything to visit above the level of Nathan Phillips Square. Hence the big, conspicuous circular planter, with its three Kentucky coffee trees, standing at the top of the ramp leading up from the plaza to the roof. “The trees are meant to

be a beacon,” says Pommer, “declaring to people on the ground that there is something up there.”

What they find up top will change as the garden matures and settles in over the next several years. The seeds of flowering plants will drift from one tray to another, softening the garden’s geometry and blending its colours. The tight sedum mat

will likely flourish, and, with routine weeding, it should provide a robust platform for the many floral and grass species.

With the launch of this green civic initiative, a once-forlorn part of the metropolis has been reclaimed, and Toronto’s public realm has been enriched. c I September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 51

1. 2. 3. NATIONAL SHOWS 1. 2. 3. 4. DAYS OF GREAT DESIGN INTERIOR DESIGNERS OF CANADA pRESENTS

IIDEx/NEOCON CANADA CANADA’S NATIONAL DESIGN ExpO & CONFERENCE

ExpOSITION

SEpTEmbER 23 – 24, 2010

CONFERENCE

SEpTEmbER 22 – 25, 2010 DIRECT ENERGY CENTRE, TORONTO iidexneocon.com

to the LightHouse Andrew reeves and his Linebox Studio bring residential modernism back to ottawa.

—by rhys phillips

photography by christian Lalonde – photoluxstudio.com

September/october 2010 cANADIAN INTERIORS 53

After WWII, ottawa seemed on the verge of embracing cutting-edge residential modernism. In 1947, scientists at the National research council had already produced the world’s first one-piece plastic furniture from a single-injection mold. Just down montreal road, a group of engineers from the same institution, along with architect and artist friends, were building Fairhaven, a cooperative community of small, inexpensive but resolutely contemporary houses. Soon after, architect Jim Strutt, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and lifelong friend of buckminster Fuller, would produce a line of dazzling houses, many combining acrobatic, hyperbolic, paraboloid roofs spiralling around totemic hearths. In the early 1960s, developer bill teron built old Kanata – inspired by Helsinki’s now legendary suburb of espoo.

Designs inspired by Wright’s Usonion homes were not uncommon in other ottawa suburban projects and one actual Usonian plan house exists in the city’s rothwell Heights. by the ’70s, despite trudeau’s “social revolution” and the futurist promise of expo 67, ottawa’s flirtation with residential modernism had largely dissipated, replaced by a faux brick and vinyl historicism that still holds sway in the city’s continually sprawling suburbs. With the recent resurgence of urban living, however, modern designs are reappearing, wedged among the surviving pre-war dowagers of the city’s core. there’s a good chance one of these will have been designed by architect Andrew reeves. A graduate of carleton’s School of Architecture after a period at the technically oriented Lawrence college in michigan, his collaborative Linebox Studio has a growing portfolio of houses in ottawa and toronto. While they vary in size from under 700 square feet to over 4,000, typically they are all spare, controlled assemblages of geometric volumes clad in metal, stucco and wood – enclosing open, flowing spaces arranged to tease in the fickle light of tight urban sites.

His LightHouse residence, with its uniform use of a flat Western cedar skin stained a mellow, honey tone to soften an almost severe geometry of distilled volumes, is no exception. but it also responds adroitly to both a quirky site and a relatively large urban family, including three teenagers. the 4,500-square-foot, three-storey “laneway” house sits tucked in on what was originally planned as a short cul-de-sac in the planned community of Lindenlea, adjacent to ottawa’s old money 54 cANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

The moderately elevated living room is deserving of the term “great room,” with a double-height ceiling reaching 22 feet. The room’s north corner is wrapped by a dominating floor-to-ceiling, commercial-grade window drawing in the trees and providing generous, cool washes of northern light.

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 55

community of rockcliffe Village. Someone forgot to notice, however, that one side of the intended lane fell off as a 40-foot escarpment. Although largely left undeveloped, a modest community centre was built along with a parking lot adjacent to the existing residential street. A small, almost kidney-shaped development site emerged from a backyard severance that faced onto the original lane, now partially integrated into the parking lot. the site presented reeves with a number of challenges. Not only does the house confront the parking lot, its primary glazed facade looks due north in order to ensure privacy on the south side. At the same time, there were compensations. the old lane easement is now a small park, thus expanding the perceived size of the property; and the escarpment is thickly treed, providing a rare urban-forest experience for a family that had migrated from a rural residence. reeves’s design is based on a vertical stacking of both open and closed spaces, minimally detailed, that establish an ascending hierarchy of social and private spaces. At the same time, there is a high level of connectivity between the different levels. to obtain the desired square footage and provide comfortable but casual family-activity space, the house’s first storey sits on a raised basement level, boasting 10-foot ceilings. the latter has a polished concrete floor (all floors employ radiant heating) and high, horizontal and very large windows that flood the space with light, providing, says reeves, a “unique worm’s-eye view of the urban forest.”

Above, the primary, not-quite-pianonobile level is a series of platforms that pinwheel around a generous glass-enclosed shaft. this vertical connector rises from the basement all the way to the “treehouse” third storey that houses the parents’ private quarters. Spiralling through this shaft is a sculptural staircase of steel with maple treads.

A front main-entrance foyer sits below the living room and is partially screened by a two-way fireplace that offers a welcoming beacon of warmth to new arrivals on a cold night. A larger side entrance foyer with a limestone floor creates a generous “shedding” area for arriving kids before they climb the steps into the kitchen and expansive dining area overlooking the forest. the well-equipped Irpinia kitchen is sleek but neutral in tone and is spatially defined by a large granitetopped island with a lower, table-height 56 cANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

Opposite A front mainentrance foyer sits below the living room and is partially screened by a two-way fireplace that offers a welcome beacon of warmth to new arrivals on a cold night. Above left A generous glass-enclosed shaft rises from the basement all the way to the “treehouse” third storey that house the parents’ private quarters.

Spiralling through this shaft is a sculptural staircase of steel with maple treads. Below left The well-equipped Irpinia kitchen is sleek but neutral in tone and is spatially defined by a large granite-topped island with a lower, table-height extension for the kids to do homework or talk about their school day.

September/october 2010 CANADIAN INTERIORS 57

extension for the kids to spread out homework or hang around talking about their school day. this area and the connected dining space are one step below the living room, so the house’s first level has its own multi-level topology. “the first floor,” says reeves, “is a substantial space with largely unobstructed visual connections, but the different levels mediate its size and create distinct functional areas but without barriers.” the moderately elevated living room is deserving of the term “great room,” with a double-height ceiling reaching 22 feet, which has been left uncluttered of all but recessed light fixtures. (the only expressed lighting on the first floor is a pair of large globes, by Dutch firm moooi, which hang over an expansive dining table.) Designed for conversation, socializing and the display of art, the living room is free of television, banned to the basement level.

Like most in the house, its walls are crisp white, offset with rich maple flooring. the room’s north corner is wrapped by a dominating floor-to-ceiling, commercialgrade window drawing in the trees and providing generous, cool washes of northern light. High on the west facade, three narrow slot windows add more sculpted light while keeping the parking lot out of sight. this dual objective of screening but adding light is also achieved at the lower entrance level by a large metal and glass front door treatment by montreal’s Alumilex, employing etched glass panels. the second storey has a sizable landing that wraps around the staircase shaft and serves the children’s rooms, a bathroom and a loft office overlooking the double-height living room. the top level – what reeves calls the parents’ own boutique hotel – is intended as an adults’ retreat. While the bedroom is modest in size, this allows for a substantial open loft area for reading or as a quiet working space. From this latter area, sliding glass doors open onto a large roof terrace, stretching the full south/north axis of the house. the parent’s “treehouse” is completed by a bathroom spa, where toffee porcelain tile sets the room’s subtle colour shading. reeves’s LightHouse, despite its minimalist form, both stands out and fits into a neighbourhood best described as a mish-mash of eclectic residential styles. Its interior, however, creates no ambiguity, responding at all levels – pun intended – to an active family who want both space to connect and space to escape. c I

58 cANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

The LightHouse’s top level (which architect Andrew Reeves calls the parents’ own boutique hotel) is intended as an adults’ retreat. It comprises a modest bedroom, substantial open loft area, large roof terrace – and a bathroom spa in which the toffee porcelain tile sets the room’s subtle shading.

presented bY

InterIor DesIgn show January 27 to 30 2011

metro toronto convention centre frIDay january 28

jean-MarIe MassauD a Man wIth a VIsIon From industrial design to architecture; and from brand development to technological innovation, internationally celebrated Parisian designer Jean-Marie Massaud searches for synthesis among humanity, the products we create and our natural environment. His is a quest for reduction and lightness. He is a man of change.

Presented by Avenue Road, join us for Jean-Marie Massaud’s first ever talk in Canada in the IDS11 Azure Trade Talks series.

IDs11 presented by RADO Canada’s Largest Contemporary Design Fair: Experience over 300 Exhibitors, Provocative Installations and Keynote Speakers Thursday January 27

Friday January 28

Saturday January 29

Sunday January 30

openIng nIght party

professIonal traDe Day

general aDMIssIon

general aDMIssIon

presented by Jenn-Air ® Home Appliances

For details and trade day registration:

InteriorDesignshow.com SPONSORS

FOLLOw uS

Who’s Who

2

1

Diamond + Schmitt Summer Solstice The Summer Solstice Party, the yearly salute to the longest day, hosted by Diamond + Schmitt Architects, always draws a diverse crowd of designers, clients, politicians and artistes to the lobby of the firm’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

3

1—Mark Potter, construction manager at Hines, the developer creating Calgary’s Eighth Avenue Place office complex; D+S partner Don Schmitt; and planning consultant and former City of Toronto planning commissioner Robert Millward.

2—Kelly Henderson, project co-ordinator at St. Michael’s Hospital; Tara Plett, D+S contract administrator; and public school teacher Trisha Hobbs.

3—David Dow, principal, D+S; Alex Spiegel, president, One Development; and Jay Ingraham, co-host and producer of Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet.

4—Michael Fortin, president, marketing agency Elliott Sinclair; Jessica Cherniak, founder of Fourth Trimester, which assists mothers who have just given birth; and Gillian Diamond.

4

Summer solsticed

—By David Lasker

Highly Hylozoic Why is the Design Exchange exhibiting ostrich-plume art? Because the wispy sculptures, inscrutably titled “Hylozoic Ground,” will fill Canada’s pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale from August to November.

1—Mathieu Fitzgerald, sales rep at The Condo Store Realty.

2—Brad Keast, land development associate at Smart!

Centres; and major and aerospace engineer Jake Einarson, Canadian Forces Base Borden.

3—Hylozoic Ground designer, Philip Beesley, a U of Waterloo architecture prof; Eb Zeidler of Zeidler Partnership Architects, esteemed as the dean of Canadian architects, and Jane, his art-consultant wife.

4—Criminal lawyer Adele Monaco and Angelo Moretti, manager of Yonge and Eglinton ristorante Grazia.

5—At the DX exhibition opening: Cecconi Simone partner and interior designer Anna Simone, Globe and Mail architecture critic and sometime contributor to Canadian Interiors John Bentley Mays, and Core Architects partner Babak Eslahjou.

3 60 CANADIAN INTERIORS September/october 2010

1

4

2

5

Tuzio Towel Warmers

DESIGNABLE ENVIRONMENTS Inc.

Ico, your exclusive manufacturer and supplier of a comprehensive range of Tuzio towel warmers. These towel warmers are available for hydronic and electric installation to ensure integration in almost any application.

Choose from a large selection of designs available in chrome, brushed nickel and white for a towel warmer to compliment all room styles and décor.

877-757-8930 www.icocanada.com

DESIGNABLE ENVIRONMENTS is a Canadian architectural consulting firm specializing in universal design, accessibility, and future care planning. For the last 25 years we have worked across Canada as well as internationally, on projects that create appropriate access for everyone, including people with disabilities.

We offer a level of experience and expertise unmatched in the industry. Our services include accessibility needs and implementation planning; developing accessibility standards; creating barrier-free environments; education and training; and building audits.

Helping your team create great architecture… which is also truly accessible.

CosyFloor Infloor Heating

Ico, your Canadian supplier of Cosyfloor Infloor Heating, available in 24 sizes of heatmat in 110 or 220V for suitable installation into any room size or configuration. Our proven products have the advantage of ease of installation featuring lay flat mesh matting and ultra thin heating cable meaning this product will add only 1/8” to your finished floor level.

905 278-0665 www.designable.net

877-757-8930 www.icocanada.com

Advertisers Index

Patio Palace

Reader Advertiser Page Info No.

ACO www.QuARTzbyACO.com Armstrong Ceilings www.armstrong.com Artopex www.artopex.com Baccarat www.baccarat.com Bentley Prince Street www.bentleyprincestreet.com Best of Canada www.canadianinteriors.com/bestofcanada Brading Fabrication www.bradingfabrication.com Cumberland Funiture www.cumberlandfurniture.com de Vera Hellyer and Associates - DVHA www.dvha.ca Design Exchange www.dx.org Domotex www.domotex.de European Flooring www.europeanflooring.ca EurOptimum Display www.europtimum.com Forbo www.forbo.com Gayle Marshall - Chestnut Park Real Estate gaylemarshall@chestnutpark.com IIDEX NeoCon www.iidexneocon.com imm cologne www.imm-cologne.com InterfacFLOR www.interfaceflor.ca Interior Design Show www.interiordesignshow.com International Centre SOFA www.visitsofa.com ISA www.havaseat.com Johnsonite www.johnsonite.com Londen Inc www.londeninc.com Malaysian International Funiture Fair www.miff.com.my Modular Arts www.modulararts.com

16

611

11

607

20

618

63

638

3

Canada´s largest selection of outdoor furniture – we specialize in cast aluminum and woven vinyl wicker patio furniture. We also distribute cushions and umbrellas in genuine Sunbrella fabric. We cater to golf clubs, hotels, restaurants and private residences. Delivery and set-up available.

877 252-8456 www.patiopalace.com

602

32

631

19

617

12

608

D20

624

17

613

17

614

4 & 5

603

47

635

D12

622

16

612

52

636

D5

620

6 & 7

603

59

637

64

639

40

633

D23

625

23

627

46

634

33

632

Reader Advertiser Page Info No.

Nienkämper www.nienkamper.com Nora Flooring www.nora.com/us Nortesco www.nortesco.com Novanni www.novanni.ca Ontario Screens - Phantom www.phantomscreens.com Orgatec www.orgatec.com Osram Sylvania www.sylvania.com Rubinet Faucet Company www.rubinet.com Shaw Contract www.shawcontractgroup.com Space Solutions www.spacesolutions.ca Stone Tile International www.stone-tile.com Svend Nielsen www.svendnielsen.com Teknion www.teknion.com Thermador www.thermador.ca Urban Mode www.urbanmode.com

14

610

24

629

31

630

23

628

19

616

18

615

D15

623

D2

619

13

609

10

606

8

604

21

626

2

601

D7

621

10

605

Last Word

It’s show time!

Toronto’s architectsAlliance knows how to make an entrance.

—By David Steiner At the base of Casa – a slender, 47-storey building with a wide-brimmed concrete hat perched on top – is a most remarkable entrance that projects forward from the mass of the tower above. As a space it’s monumental in height, peculiarly shallow (little more than six paces from the doorway and you’re clear across) and long like a pool cue. This entrance – characterizing it as a “lobby” won’t do, with its connotation of something far less heroic – had humble beginnings. A tight urban site and the exorbitant cost of underground parking forced the developer to split an eight-storey parking garage four stories below grade and four above. Making the most of unfortunate circumstances, architectsAlliance, the building’s designer, covered up the four-storey rump of the

garage that projects into the lobby with a collage of 6-by-13-foot oak veneer panels. A five-storey wall of glass hangs down in front of the entry space like a curtain, supported on a custom-built steel frame.

A short staircase and reception desk are the entry’s only permanent inhabitants. They make an elegant couple, both covered in similar back-painted tapiocacoloured glass and trimmed with brushed stainless steel. The stair takes you up one flight to a lounge, recessed 10 feet from the oak-panelled wall. An expanse of deep blue rises up four stories behind the lounge’s modern furniture. It seems that a view to the leafy street outside or over the entrance space below is the lounge’s sole purpose, since, with a touch of irony, the lounge leads nowhere.

For an entrance to a mid-priced condo in Toronto, quality materials abound: Peribonka granite floor tiles, culled from Quebec, lay on the floor; an entry portal, piercing through the glass wall, is clad both indoors and out in bronze plated panels with an oxidized lacquer finish; vinyl wall coverings, with the appearance of linen, line the corridors beyond the reception desk. Stacked at both ends of the space are the same exquisite, purplish-black brick that covers the exterior.

Originating in Nebraska, the bricks are flecked with manganese iron spots, giving them a subtle iridescence. At night, theatre lights illuminate the oak-panelled wall, turning the entire volume into a giant lantern. c I

Photography by Kevin Thom

COLLECTION LUMIERE www.baccarat.com Toronto: Studio B - 416.368.2838 Montréal: Latitude Nord - 514.287.9038 Vancouver: Livingspace - 604.683.1116 Inform Interiors – 604.682.3868

SOFABULOUS. SOFASHIONABLE. SOFACILITATING. SOFA

.

Design professionals rejoice! SOFA – Source of Furniture + Accessories, is a one-stop resource of furniture + home accessories all under one roof at the International Centre. Discover the latest products from the world's finest manufacturers in dozens of permanent showrooms.

Our new Design Lab gives you an edge with seminars, Lunch-n-Learn workshops, product knowledge, guest speaker events and more!

Easy to get to; Easy to park in our VIP lot; Easy to use as part of your tool box; Easy to wow your Clients and grow your business with a SOFA Membership.

Open Tuesday to Thursday from 10 to 4 Call our new SOFA VIP CONCIERGE PROGRAM to book your showroom appointments 6900 Airport Road, Suite 120 / 6B Mississauga, ON L4V 1E8 Linda Kafka / Director 905 678 5626

visitsofa.com

www.canadianinteriors.com

Reader Service/Subscription Order Card To subscribe/renew please mail or fax to 416-510-6875.

For details about products and services in this issue, please circle the numbers below that correspond to the reader information number for each ad, as shown in the advertisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; index in this issue.

FREE

Advertiser Product Information 2010

Name

Title

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

Company

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

Address

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

201

202

203

204

205

206

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

232

233

234

235

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

260

301

302

303

304

305

306

307

308

309

310

311

312

313

314

315

316

317

318

319

320

321

322

323

324

325

326

327

328

329

330

331

332

333

334

335

336

337

338

339

340

341

342

343

344

345

346

347

348

349

350

351

352

353

354

355

356

357

358

359

360

401

402

403

404

405

406

407

408

409

410

411

412

413

414

415

416

417

418

419

420

421

422

423

424

425

426

427

428

429

430

431

432

433

434

435

436

437

438

439

440

441

442

443

444

445

446

447

448

449

450

City

Prov.

Tel.

Postal code

Fax

E-mail Signature

Date

Visa/AMEX/MC No.

Exp. date

Name on card

Please check one item in each category A. Type of business O Interior Design

O Facility/Property/Project Management

451

452

453

454

455

456

457

458

459

460

O Architecture

O Dealer/Manufacturer

501

502

503

504

505

506

507

508

509

510

O Industrial Design

O Showroom/Retail

O Builders/Developers

511

512

513

514

515

516

517

518

519

520

521

522

523

524

525

526

527

528

529

530

O Landscape Design

O Government/Banks

O Institutions/Libraries

531

532

533

534

535

536

537

538

539

540

541

542

543

544

545

546

547

548

549

550

551

552

553

554

555

556

557

558

559

560

601

602

603

604

605

606

607

608

609

610

611

612

613

614

615

616

617

618

619

620

621

622

623

624

625

626

627

628

629

630

631

632

633

634

635

636

637

638

639

640

641

642

643

644

645

646

647

648

649

650

651

652

653

654

655

656

657

658

659

660

701

702

703

704

705

706

707

708

709

710

711

712

713

714

715

716

717

718

719

720

721

722

723

724

725

726

727

728

729

730

731

732

733

734

735

736

737

738

739

740

741

742

743

744

745

746

747

748

749

750

751

752

753

754

755

756

757

758

759

760

O Design Dept in Hospitality and Corporate

O Home Decor

O Other (please specify) ____________________________________________ B. Job Function O Architect

O Engineer

O Landscape Designer/Architect

O Interior Designer

O Facility/Project Manager

O Owner/CEO/President/Partner

O Industrial Designer

O Purchasing/Manager

O Government/Building Official

O Decorator

O Financial Mgmt.

O Developer/Urban Planner

E. Size of company (by number of employees) O 1-9 O 10-19 O 20-49 O 50-99 O 100-249 O 250-499 O 500+

FOR FAST SERVICE, FAX THIS CARD TO (416) 510-6875

O Yes! I would like to subscribe/renew to Canadian Interiors O 1 year O 2 years O 3 years

$36.95 (+GST/HST/QST) $59.95 (+GST/HST/QST) $79.95 (+GST/HST/QST)

O 1 year US $69.95 (US funds)

O 1 years wrapped $39.95 (+GST/HST/QST) O 2 years wrapped $63.95 (+GST/HST/QST) O 3 years wrapped $84.95 (+GST/HST/QST) O 1 year Overseas $95.00 (US funds)

O Payment enclosed O Please charge my credit card account

CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE: CDA: 1-800-268-7742 ext. 3539 USA: 1-800-387-0273 ext. 3539 Email: lmalicdem@bizinfogroup.ca URL: www.canadianinteriors.com