Canadian Interiors November December 2018

CDN $6.95 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2018

Built for Builders

All things office!

PM#43096012

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Project > TMX | Designer > B+H Architects | Photo > Doublespace Photography

Project > OMERS | Designer > Figure 3

SVEND NIELSEN Custom Furniture

Project > Loyalty One | Designer > Gensler | Photo > Tom Arban

Project > Bentall Kennedy | Designer > HOK | Photo > Tom Arban

Svend Nielsen Ltd. is an established Designer/ Manufacturer of the finest custom furniture and millwork. Drawing upon more than 65 years experience, we take great pride in crafting products that satisfy the most discerning eye.

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hospitable by nature, modular by design. /

Designed by Christophe Pillet, Borough’s modular lounge collection introduces a casual sophistication to any social setting.

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SAY O COLLECTION DESIGN BY

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GAZEBO MEETING POD

AN INDOOR OASIS FOR THE CONTEMPORARY OFFICE DESIGN: NIENKĂ„MPER

The Gazebo Meeting Pod; a free-standing meeting room, private lounge or touchdown space. Available in custom sizes and finishes designed to meet your specific needs. The extruded aluminum structure is not attached to any surface and is easily assembled to suit any space. The combination of soft, sound absorbing acoustic panels on the walls and ceiling create an open, yet private environment.

Lighting, technology, and a sliding door for additional sound privacy are options available. Biophilic exterior elements improving office air quality, ensures the Gazebo Meeting Pod is a refined and aesthetic addition to any work environment.

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11/122018 Features

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WESTERN GOLD The second annual MASI Design Awards recognizes talented professionals in the interior design industry from across Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

33 IF YOU BUILD IT, PT. 1: FOR THOSE IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD

By Michael Totzke

40 IF YOU BUILD IT, PT. 2: FOR THOSE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

By Rhys Phillips

Regulars

15 CAUGHT OUR EYE 19 THE GOODS Gone are the days of cookie-cutter cu-

bicles and drab desk chairs. The newest in design brings comfort, quality, privacy and allure to the office floor. 22 SEEN Highlights and insights from NeoCon in Chicago.

46 THE GOODS Bigger isn’t always better. This year’s most sought-after gifts are modest in size. 53 SCENE 56 OVER & OUT Halifax’s new community space, office and educational workshop relates directly to its African community’s ancestries.

COVER – The combination of colour, motifs and space planning create a functional yet upbeat “laboratory for innovation” at Ubisoft Montréal’s office. Photo by Adrien Williams

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Give Awesomely!

Etihad Museum Designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects and comprising a parabolic Pavilion structure and subterranean Museum, the Etihad Museum is framed around the Union House where the United Arab Emirates’ Constitution was signed in 1971.

Great gift-giving ideas to make those stockings pop!

SickKids Play Park Designed by Stantec and operated by the Women’s Auxiliary of the Hospital for Sick Children, Play Park provides entertainment for children ranging in age from toddlers to adolescents.

Global Centre for Pluralism Designed by KPMB and housed within the former Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, the Global Centre for Pluralism is an international institution dedicated to advancing respect for diversity worldwide.

Kwakiutl Wagalus School Designed by Lubor Trubka Associates Architects for the Kwakiutl First Nation, a rural community located in Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

Visit the expanded digital edition at

www.canadianinteriors.com

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Peale™ Panel w/ silver or gold mirror ©2018 modularArts, Inc.

416-441-2085 x108 Editor in Chief

Peter Sobchak Art Director

Roy Gaiot Associate Editor

Contributing Editors

David Lasker, Rhys Phillips, Leslie C. Smith Contributors

John deWolf, Shannon Moore, Michael Totzke Customer Service / Production

Laura Moffatt

416-441-2085 x104

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with silver or gold mirror inserts

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Martin Spreer

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November| December 2018 / V55 #6

President of iQ Business Media Inc.

Alex Papanou

Canadian Interiors magazine is published by iQ Business Media Inc. 101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 302 Toronto ON M3B 1Z3 Telephone 416-441-2085 e-mail: info@canadianinteriors.com website: www.canadianinteriors.com Canadian Interiors publishes six 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 $38.95 per year (plus taxes) U.S.A. $71.95 USD per year, Overseas $98.95 USD per year.

Back issues > Back copies are available for $15 for delivery in Canada, $20 USD for delivery in U.S.A. and $30 USD overseas.

Please send payment to: Canadian Interiors, 101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 302 Toronto ON M3B 1Z3 or order online www.canadianinteriors.com For subscription and back issues inquiries please call 416-441-2085 x104 e-mail: circulation@canadianinteriors.com, or go to our website at: www.canadianinteriors.com 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).

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Are you a designer?

Enjoy member-only benefits such as exclusive trade discounts, volume rebates and a tailored service by joining our free designer program!

Subscribe now ceragres.ca/designerprogram • 1 844 271-9332

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inside

Does iteration = innovation?

Back in mid-September, I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion during the IDC Design Symposium, which had been exploring topics loosely grouped under the banner “The Value of Design Thinking.” Earlier panels unpacked Empathy and Invention, good precursors to mine, where for a couple of hours I spoke with Gregory Neely, principal, Forge Media + Design; Ian Rolston, senior associate, HOK; Ian Chalmers of Pivot Design Group; and Helen Kerr, co-president, Kerr Smith Design, about Iteration in the context of inclusive design and “the removal of barriers to allow for independent participation in everyday living in spaces, be they retail stores, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, offices or homes” (IDC’s wording, not mine).

As panels typically do, our dialogues evolved organically, veering mostly towards issues of inclusivity, as all the panelists have projects with that as a key focus. But afterwards, I found myself continually intrigued by this notion of iteration and its applicability to the design

world. Currently the operative definition of iterative design is a methodology based on cyclic processes of prototyping, testing, analyzing, and refining a product or process. The tech industries are huge proponents of iterative design, baking it into processes with names such as Lean, Agile, and A/B testing. But while tech has embraced a “move fast and break things” mantra, with results still being evaluated, I wonder how applicable iteration is in interior design, where it’s not about clicks but bricks. Is iteration for all intents and purposes an attempt at design Darwinism, meaning a project or product essentially designs itself, without the guiding hand of an actual designer?

Can iteration truly “innovate?” And how is “incremental improvement” really a conduit to innovation? Can iteration create delight and enjoyment and beauty? I have no doubt that iteration can find usability problems, but can it solve them?

At this point I am mostly asking questions: I don’t have clear answers or even opinions as of yet; however, if you have strong feelings or experiences one way or another I would love to hear them. So drop me a line.

Small oops…

In the Dubbeldam Architecture + Design profile in the previous issue, we accidentally ran a photo of the Walper Hotel’s lobby, which is actually the work of Dialogue 38. Dubbeldam joint ventured for the Walper project, with Dialogue 38 focusing on the lobby while Jill Greaves and Dubbeldam did the guest floors. Apologies for the confusion.

12 Peter Sobchak

psobchak@canadianinteriors.com

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CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

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caught our eye

Snakes on King Originally built in 2016 for the Serpentine Gallery in London’s Kensington Garden

by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, the 1,802 stacked fibreglass blocks standing 46-ft. tall reappeared in a vacant lot on King Street West in downtown Toronto as part of Unzipped, an exhibition showcasing BIG’s collaborations with development firm Westbank. The installation’s first appearance in North America before going on a multi-city tour, it will remain open to the public until November 30, whereupon it will be dismantled, and Westbank will build a BIG-designed condo on site. www.unzippedtoronto.com

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caught our eye

On the Rocks A place to sip wine and relax, the Geometric Wave wine bar, designed by Giorgio Canale for the Italian stone trade show Marmomac in Verona, took its inspiration from block cutting processes. Natural stone was shaped into blocks after quarrying and then sawn to produce slabs.

These slabs resemble each other when viewed from the edges but reveal their uniqueness on the face, with different textures on each side, slab after slab. www.veronafiere.it Ply Bar With the Untitled (392 Sheets of Plywood) installation at IDS Vancouver, Leckie Studio chose a lone generic material—plywood—to create a spatial “experience” formed in a singular tectonic and material language. The result was a semi-enclosed structure that provided a more intimate scale of space within the larger exhibition hall, intended as a place of refuge for visitors over-stimulated by the trade show floor. Assembled without adhesives, the plywood sheets are held in place with friction, utilizing an interlocking assembly system. www.leckiestudio.com

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

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the goods

Taking Care of Business Gone are the days of cookie-cutter cubicles and drab desk chairs. The newest in design brings comfort, quality, privacy and allure to the office floor.

By Shannon Moore WAM | Bross The new collection by architect Marco Zito asks users to “wait a minute,� stop, sit down, take a breath and relax. The line of coffee tables, benches, poufs, lounge and armchairs are a welcome addition to residential interiors, but truly find their home in commercial or office spaces. The four elongated metal legs are available in black or bronze, a shell with padding, and custom colour and fabric options. www.bross-italy.com ILTUO | 3form Solving issues of privacy, productivity and distraction in open office plans, the ILTUO system is a flexible and customizable line of straight partitions and fully enclosed spaces with doors. When installed, the system creates a highly functional and attractive meeting space that reduces sound reverberation through hush bars made from Sola Felt. Available in a variety of colours and heights, ILTUO can even be finished with panel lighting, shelving and writable walls for maximum brainstorming potential. www.3-form.com

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the goods Phenomenology Collection | Luum Textiles Suzanne Tick’s new collection presents four styles that interact dynamically with light to create an illusory effect. Each has a dynamic colour palette and texture, from the opaque and wool-like Backdrop to the classic tweed-inspired Meta Texture, crisp and neutral Fleck Forge, and ikat-inspired jacquard Ephemera.

These bleachable and durable textiles are ideal for high-traffic environments. www.luumtextiles.com Plena | Foscarini Plena, meaning “full moon” in Italian, is a suspension lamp that marks Eugenio Gargioni and Guillaume Albouy’s first collaboration with Foscarini. The pendant is lightweight and shaped like an arch, allowing light to spread upwards while simultaneously reflecting down below. The aluminum and PVC Plena combines its electrical wiring within its suspension for a clean and minimalist design. www.foscarini.com That Flippin’ Chair | Masoud Mahboobullah That Flippin’ Chair is an adaptable piece of furniture that can be used for both casual seating and counter height dining. Using a smart snap mechanism, the chair swiftly transitions from one mode to the next with a simple flip of its backrest and seat.

While perfect for homes, the winner of a 2018 Red Dot Award for concept design also finds a place in office settings.

Evo | Allsteel The Evo collection reimagines the standard task chair by bringing colour and versatility to the office. Designed in collaboration with Bruce Fifield, the stools, conference, task and side chairs contain automatic, weight-activated tension, providing intuitive and customized support to each user. They also contain a mesh back that blends mono- and multifilament fabrics for high strength and breathability. www.allsteeloffice.com The Frame | Samsung Boasting 4K UHD technology, smart capabilities with Samsung’s Bixby command system, and 850 artworks from artists around the world, owners can now browse a unique virtual Art Store which houses an ever-growing collection curated by art consultant Elise Van Middelem.

Searchable by artist, colour scheme and medium, the TV functions like any other when turned on, and transforms into an art gallery when switched off. Recent additions include iconic photographs from The New York Times and artworks from London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. www.samsung.com Agile Townhall | Allsteel Rainlight Studios has designed a diverse and handsome collection of tables, stools, benches, ottomans, chairs and accessories. The Rock, for example, is a high-back, Pac-Man-shaped rocking chair designed for user comfort, whereas the Cloud is a discreet and thin screen that provides flexible options for workplace privacy. The collection is available in six styles. www.allsteeloffice.com Benching System | Innovative The new system, designed

by HAT Contract, takes the adjustable work table to new heights. Available in three widths (48”, 60” and 72”) and two colours (silver or white), the system contains expandable and adjustable steel frames that can be assembled, combined with other units, and re-configured depending on workplace needs.

Each system supports up to 300lbs and contains dual motors for easy height adjustment hidden within each leg. www.innovativeworkspaces.com

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seen

Still the One Compiled by Peter Sobchak

What better way to celebrate 50 years as the leading platform for commercial design than with record-breaking attendance. Oh yeah, and a slew of great new products.

Congrats NeoCon!

Compiled by Peter Sobchak

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1 Tailored Twist | Tarkett This year’s NeoCon debut was a vibrant, tailored modular carpet collection that combines design with sustainability using the company’s Ethos Modular with Omnicoat Technology backing. Produced by Tandus Centiva, the collection features 162 possible combinations in its palette and patterns. www.tarkettna.com

2 Untucked | Keilhauer The new soft contract collection designed by EOOS features 10 different choices of seating and tables that have a comfortable, at-home style intended for today’s casual workplace. Although each piece is designed to fulfill one specific need, they are intended to be clustered in vignettes, be it conferencing and team break-outs, one-on-ones or solo work. www.Keilhauer.com/Untucked

3 Juice Mobile Power | Bretford This category-creating mobile power system, with proprietary FLI Charge technology, changes the game for IT and facility managers by delivering a safe, flexible way to turn a single outlet into a power source for the entire classroom or office, at a fraction of the cost of a retrofit and eliminating the tangled web of extensions cords. www.bretford.com

4 Cesto | Studio TK Spanish for “basket,” this collection of seating and table

elements designed by Khodi Feiz is entirely meant to capitalize on offices where collaborative and social behaviours permeate the environment. “The flexibility to gather spontaneously,” says Feiz. “This freedom also extends into the different functional typologies, and the colouring and material choices.” www.studiotk.com

5 Xorel Vue Collection | Carnegie Created using crochet and embroidery tech-

niques, this new collection of architectural textiles blurs the line between artful craft and commercial functionality. Flexible, lightweight, and usable at the window or as a vertical partition or space divider, Vue provides degrees of visual privacy while allowing light to filter through. www.carnegiefabrics.com

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1 Rothko Collection | Koleksiyon Designed by Studio Kairos as single elements defined by simple and unique geometric shapes that can easily be composed into complex systems using a simple leg connection made with aluminum injection fittings, this collection delivers the ability to reconfigure with great simplicity without incurring extra costs. www.koleksiyon.us

2 Cerebro | Teknion Teknion had a good show this year. Really good, actually, with a pair of its new products

nabbing three awards, including Cerebro, a new workplace concept connecting comfortable lighting levels and monitor eye heights when using three integrated workplace products: a Navigate electric height-adjustable table; Sanna Lightbar IC (Integrated Cerebro) task light; and Swerv Monitor Arm IC. www.teknion.com

3 Wev | Barbican This new collection of washable, woven fiberglass fixtures is available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. For example the Icicle, a one-inch diameter glass tube wrapped in fiberglass strands, they can be hung horizontally or vertically as individual pendants, or in clusters of different lengths. www.barbican.ca

4 Bower | ICF Open, organic and gentle, this collection of work pods, lounge chairs and adjustable screens was inspired by the rambling-style nests created by the bowerbird of designer Adam Goodrum’s native Australia. Entirely modular, the Bower is designed for visual and acoustical privacy. www.icfsource.com

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5 beSpoke Collection | Innovant Intended for ever-evolving modern offices, the beSpoke Collection offers a host of versatile elements that can be grouped together or stand alone. Originally conceived as an L-shaped workstation or bench, the collection now features customizable components and finishes. www.innovant.com

6 Trench Collection | Nienkämper The first collaboration with Favaretto & Partners Design Studio was

inspired by the craftsmanship and material selection that characterize the world of luxury cars. This can be seen in the inside seatback with distinctive pleats to create an instantly recognizable aesthetic of classic luxury cars from the 1970s. www.nienkamper.com

7 Smart Ocean | Humanscale An adaption of their well-known Diffrient Smart chair, this version incorpor­

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ates almost two pounds of recycled fishing net material (NetPlus). Sourced from Bureo, an emerging venture developing solutions to prevent ocean plastic pollution, this is the first tangible product of its new partnership and marks the first product available to purchase from the consortium of companies under the NextWave initiative. www.humanscale.com

8 NapQ | Framery It seems inevitable that when privacy pods were introduced a few years back, people would be using them for more than just phone calls, catching little cat naps when they could. In a smart move, Framery has launched something that addresses that: NapQ, the newest layout to their Q line equipped with reclining sofas. www.frameryacoustics.com

9 Matter | Wolf-Gordon By Dutch designer Mae Engelgeer, an interplay of high loft wool blend yarns with chic metallic filaments makes for a visually rich and tactile collection, complemented by intricate detailing, geometric and organic forms. Three patterns—Mass, Merge and Points— all achieved 100,000 double rubs on the Wyzenbeek abrasion test. www.wolfgordon.com

10 Varya | Sandler Seating Designed by Simon Pengelley, the collection includes chairs, armchairs,

barstools and counter stools, which are available on a range of metal or wooden bases. The durable polypropylene shell is reinforced with glass fiber and comes in 12 matte finishes with the option to add a padded seat panel, which can be upholstered in all the Sandler Seating graded-in fabrics and leathers or COM. www.sandlerseating.com

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INTERNATIONAL 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 18

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Western Gold Last year, the Professional Interior Designers Institute of Manitoba (PIDIM) along with the Interior Designers of Alberta (IDA) and the Interior Design Association of Saskatchewan (IDAS) began the MASI Design Awards to recognize talented professionals in the interior design industry from across Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan. This event strives to become a shared platform for talented professionals in the industry to showcase their finest work and have the opportunity to gain recognition for their achievements.

The awards competition is open to all Registered Professional members of the three interior design associations: IDA, IDAS and PIDIM. Now in its second year, momentum is growing along with submissions. Professionals submitted a statement describing the project, its objectives, startup and completion dates and project success. Projects were required to be completed within the past two years of the awards competition and ready for use or occupied. Digital images accompanied the projects, as the shots of the spaces, materials, fixtures and furnishings aided judges to make informed decisions about the final impact of the project.

Nine judges assessed innovative and conceptually imaginative spaces from a variety of professional designers who reimagined how work and private space should look and function. Their challenge was to select the projects that truly embodied excellence. Which they did, and on October 18th at The Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina, hardware was handed out to distinguish 18 of the best interior design projects in Western Canada that showcase the profound impact that great interior designs are having on public and private space.

Congratulations to all the winners, and they are...(drumroll, please)

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Office over $80/square foot

Silver

Bronze

Gold

Category A

Stantec Regina Office Fit-up STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD., REGINA, SK

Stantec embarked on a difficult design challenge: a new work space for themselves, to accommodate 200+ designers, architects and engineers. There was no “one-size-fits-all” design solution. A variety of different workstyles and preferences were reviewed to create an environment that effectively balanced open and private space. The objective was to create an atmosphere that embodied the comforts of home, while also highlighting the professionalism of the staff and their work. The design allowed for the freedom and flexibility to be creative in a setting that best suits their integrated project teams and echoes their unique culture.

University of Calgary, Veterinary Medicine Clinical Skills Building STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD., CALGARY, AB

TMX

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B+H ARCHITECTS, CALGARY, AB

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Category C

Retail

Bronze

Bronze

Silver

Silver

Gold

Office under $80/square foot

Gold

Category B

FKA Agency

Ritchie Market

PEYTON LICENSED INTERIOR DESIGN, CALGARY, AB

GROUP2 ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN LTD., CALGARY, AB

For an advertising agency’s 4,000-sq.-ft. Edmonton office, the guiding principles were to represent: a journey, not a destination; sophistication, but not stuffiness; and creativity, but not eccentricity. The experience of the space had to reflect the evolution of the company from spunky startup to one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies, but also the creative path on which they take their clients. A custom ceiling installation was created and its location meant to represent both the physical route from reception deeper into the space, but also the symbolic iteration of the creative process. The use of both natural and charred wood in various angular shapes was a subtle reference to the client’s logo.

Felesky Flynn LLP

Ritchie Market reinvents a strip mall typology characteristic of Edmonton’s mature neighbourhoods, and houses four local businesses: a craft brewery and restaurant; a coffee roaster and café; a butcher; and a bike rental shop. The architecture is homage to the neighbourhood’s past of brick and corrugated steel cladding, and the exposed steel and fir deck structure recall the industrial buildings that once dominated the area. Accessible retail areas on the main floor are connected by an interior communal space while the second floor contains business support areas and private event spaces that host popular programs such as yoga and coffee tasting workshops.

AODBT ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN, SASKATOON, SK

NEJMARK ARCHITECT/RETAIL HOSPITALITY DESIGN, WINNIPEG, MB

Tenderloin Meat & Sausage

Moe Hannah LLP

Wilhauk Beef Jerky

FOUR SQUARES LICENSED INTERIOR DESIGN, CALGARY, AB

BOLD DESIGN INC., EDMONTON, AB

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Hospitality/Restaurant

Silver

Bronze

Gold

Category D

Passero Restaurant at the Forks Market NUMBER TEN ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, WINNIPEG, MB

Prominently situated at The Forks Market Common in Winnipeg, Passero is an upscale 44-seat micro-restaurant offering contemporary Italian cuisine with signature design elements carefully juxtaposed with the historic industrial character of the recently revitalized Forks Market atrium. Passero features a semi-transparent wood banquet wall that creates a sense of cohesion and unity as the seemingly random-sized angled wood panels, illuminated dramatically from below, rise to the ceiling. A wood ceiling feature mirrors the design of the banquet wall and ties together the design theme to create a one-of-a-kind space that is the perfect complement to Winnipeg’s most popular tourism attraction.

Regal Cat CafĂŠ MATTSON AND COMPANY, CALGARY, AB

Two Penny Chinese

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SARAH WARD INTERIORS, CALGARY, AB

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Category H

Special Projects

Bronze

Bronze

Silver

Silver

Gold

Institutional/Healthcare

Gold

Category G

Ronald McDonald House Family Room - Victoria Hospital

Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge

AODBT ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN, SASKATOON, SK

GEC ARCHITECTURE, CALGARY, AB

The Ronald McDonald House Family Room is integrated within the pediatrics unit of the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert and provides a welcoming environment for families to retreat, rest and heal better together while being only steps away from their ill children. Families are greeted with an inviting entrance which ties in recognizable elements of the corporate brand of Ronald McDonald House Canada.

The small illuminated “houses” provide an opportunity to not only reinforce the brand of a homelike environment but also to recognize local donors. Careful consideration was given to tying in natural elements throughout the space that would be familiar and comforting to residents of northern Saskatchewan.

The Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge is a regional hub of physical activity and a multi-purpose gathering place for the community.

Initiated through a functional program and concept design exercise in 2013, the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge, opened in January 2018, is a vibrant community gathering centre for health, wellness and culture. Inspired by the surrounding landscape, the soft curving undulations of the building create an open and integrated facility connecting the natural features of the site with the activity inside.

NAIT Centre for Applied Technology

Cochrane Aquatic Centre and Curling Club

STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD., CALGARY, AB

STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD., CALGARY, AB

Peter Lougheed Hall

Hyde Park View

GEC ARCHITECTURE, CALGARY, AB

AODBT ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN, SASKATOON, SK

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If You Build It, pt.1: For those in the physical world

By Michael Totzke

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Taking a page from those in the construction game—plain-spoken, not fond of frills or ornamentation—let’s get right to it. What follows are three offices that, while reflecting the no-nonsense character of those who work there, challenge their way of working and point them confidently toward the future. One is in Québec (Pomerleau); two are in Ontario (PCL Construction, GHD); all three are two-storey knockouts.

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Pomerleau (Lévis)

Photos by Jonathan Robert

With offices spread from Vancouver to St. John’s, Québec-based Pomerleau is a major player in the Canadian construction industry, with over 2,000 projects to its name. To create the architecture, interior design and landscape architecture for its from-scratch office in Lévis, across the St. Lawrence River from Québec City, the company chose Montréal-based Lemay.

role as a builder, Lemay made raw materials—pine, polished concrete and steel—key to the interior design. The building itself, its wood and steel structural framing resembling construction framework, reinforces the primacy of raw materials.

“This was a huge opportunity for us, as Pomerleau is one of the major builders in Québec,” says Eric Pelletier, Lemay partner and design principal. Pelletier found management open to a design that is decidedly sleek and sophisticated. “They were sensitive to how architecture can illustrate the kind of work they do. A lot of people come to the office and the design reflects the culture. Also, it needs to be interesting for the people who work there.”

The two-storey project is located between a highway and a forest. To minimize the former, Lemay chose to make the latter a special feature, with both landscape architecture and interior decor serving as an extension of the natural environment. To highlight Pomerleau’s CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

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Massive windows of the building’s three distinct wings frame the woodland. The intersection of two of the wings creates an open hall, overlooking the courtyard and the forest beyond. Encompassing the reception area and main staircase, this sunny, generous gathering space is Ground Central. One of the wings encompasses meeting rooms and a cafeteria; another wing consists of closed offices at the centre, with open-area workstations on the periphery, allowing for penetration of natural light as well as pleasing views. “Initially we wanted the offices to be all glass,” notes Pelletier, “but as management needs privacy for negotiations, they asked for a little less glass.”

One of the most striking elements of the office, encompassing 34,767 square feet, is unfinished steel plates. Used as railings for internal stairwells, they unfold in space like ribbons connecting the two floors.

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Previous page and this spread To recall Pomerleau’s role as builder, Lemay made raw materials key to the interior design: natural pine wood siding, polished concrete floors, and reception furniture and railings made of raw steel plates. Exposed mechanical and electrical equipment reinforce this feeling, as does the design of the building itself, with its wood and steel structural framing resembling construction framework. The intersection of the two main wings creates an open space defining the reception area and main staircase, and coffee stations become informal meeting places to socialize. Massive windows frame the adjacent woodland, while the sweeping indoor/outdoor use of wood brings the forest inside.

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PCL Construction

Photos by Doublespace Photography

conversations, B+H placed their offices at the centre of the plan, but used all-glass fronts for visual connection to the rest of the office; switchable glass allows for instant privacy. Various social spaces, including the 1,000-sq.-ft. Work Café and strategically placed “collision zones,” foster interaction and collaboration. In all areas, “acoustics are so important,” says B+H senior associate Adrian Berry. “Technology throughout allows for an ability to connect. PCL agreed to spend extra money on good acoustics to go behind the technology.”

Founded in Saskatchewan as Poole Construction in 1906, PCL Construction is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and Australia. To create a home base for its Greater Toronto Area operations (PCL’s largest district, employing 600 professionals), the company chose a firm with which it has shared a long history of collaboration: B+H Architects.

For the past 25 years, PCL Toronto’s departmental teams had been siloed and segmented over several floors of a building in Mississauga; the new, 51,000-sq.-ft. office brings everyone together on two floors of a LEED-Silver building in Oakville, Ont. B+H conducted extensive research and visioning exercises with PCL’s leadership team. As far as the overall look and feel, “They didn’t want it too fussy or overly detailed. They are the least glitzy people you could know,” says Peter Heys, B+H principal, Interior Design. “They wanted to use typical construction materials—wood, brick, concrete, steel, glass and stone—in their natural state.”

A key challenge was to create an appropriate balance between open and private areas. To facilitate senior staff’s propensity for closed-door CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

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Another key element of the office is sustainability. “PCL’s commitment to sustainability is truly evidenent in the new Toronto office, where they pushed the boundaries to lead the industry through early adoption of LEED v4,” says Alan Murphy, principal of Green Reason, who acted as the project’s sustainability consultant. “By utilizing the project as a living lab for this new, rigorous set of standards, we explored the challenging ratings system together for application on future client projects.”

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“Our new space is an important investment in our employees and our partners, and sets the stage for PCL to recruit and retain the best people in the industry,” says Todd Craigen, senior vice-president and district manager, PCL Constructors Canada (Toronto).

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This spread Spanning two floors of a certified LEED-Silver building, PCL Toronto required the fit-out of its new workplace to be built to ultra-high sustainable standards. From the adaptable mechanical systems, to the integrated lighting control system from Wattstopper, to each element is tied into the Building Automation System, which monitors and controls the HVAC systems allowing the building to run as efficiently as possible, the building now has the ability to advance as standards evolve.

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This page With GHD agreeing to eliminate traditional private offices in the new site and reducing the number of designated workstations throughout, this allowed for the delivery of increased amenity and ancillary areas while still providing sufficient work spaces for staff and guests within the open plan, while also allowing for maximum daylight penetration across the floorplates. Details such as warm and textured custom millwork walls to the custom perforated bright yellow steel staircase help provide focal points in the vast spaces.

GHD

Photos courtesy of ABA Architects

Founded in Melbourne in 1928, GHD is a privately owned multinational firm with over 9,000 people employed providing engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services to private- and public-sector clients. In 2015, GHD acquired Waterloo, Ont.–based Conestoga Rovers & Associates. As such, to design its Ontario headquarters, which would become GHD’s largest office in North America, the company chose Waterloo-based ABA Architects.

“I’ve been involved with a lot of projects for construction and engineering firms, so I was somewhat leery,” recalls Lorelie Ratz, ABA principal, Interiors. “They tend to want traditional private offices.”

Tasked with fitting over 500 employees spread over six separate Kitchener/Waterloo locations into 100,000 square feet—in a twostorey building in Waterloo’s Idea Quarter, home at one time to the once-untouchable tech giant BlackBerry—ABA had to convince GHD to, as Ratz explains, “make a major cultural shift”: rethink the way they had been working and plan for the next generation of leaders and for the future of the company. To Ratz’s surprise, GHD management quickly came on board.

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And so it was goodbye private offices, hello marvel of an open plan (allowing daylight to penetrate fully) encompassing increased amenity and ancillary areas. The two vast floor plates (50,000 square feet each) are organized into neighbourhoods, loosely based around GHD teams, each with its own identity. As one looks across the space, visual clues such as primarily lighting and colour help locate main corridors, open collaboration areas and service zones.

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Employees are encouraged to work in different areas all equipped with technology throughout the office environment; almost all closed spaces are bookable. At the centre of each floor is a welcoming Hub, offering a variety of areas to collaborate, unwind, share a catered lunch or simply relax along the glazed rear facade.

“Our staff have adapted and flourished in the space. On any given weekend you see staff members giving tours of the office to their family and friends,” says John Ferguson, GHD principal and principal in charge of real estate in North America. What’s more, GHD has committed to bring the same level of design excellence to its facilities around the world.

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If You Build It, pt.2: For those in the digital world

By Rhys Phillips

More than two decades ago, the rapid proliferation of digitally-based technology firms helped disrupt the idea of productive office design.

Often led by young CEOs who had never seen the inside of an MBA program, these firms challenged the wisdom of rigid workplace assignments, formal meetings and the physical expression of hierarchy.

As well, they introduced an oft-reported propensity for playfulness. If the last frequently appeared like well-appointed adult daycares—and many still do—the more serious focus was on enhancing collaboration and ensuring environments stimulated creativity and imagination. Functionality was expanded to include attracting and holding scarce talent by emphasizing the well-being of employees, marked by diverse personalities and working styles. On a darker side perhaps, this also meant blurring the line between home and work space enticing workers to put in long hours on fixed salaries.

Benevity When Calgary-based Benevity moved from a much-loved historic building in the city’s character-infused old district, they didn’t leave kicking and screaming…although just about. When the client—a firm that supports corporate philanthropy and charity initiatives—first saw the raw three floors in a new mid-rise office building on the northeast side of the Bow River, they had difficulty envisaging a space supportive of the company’s unique culture including a flat hierarchy. “Here [hierarchy] is really quite flat, everyone does have a voice,” says Andrea Freeman, founding partner at Calgary-based Make Design Lab. “The best idea, the best solution wins out rather than coming from a title.”

Today, even historically staid audit firms have embraced many of these same attributes. But there has also been recognition that digital firms have their own unique needs and proclivities. Some continue to prefer historic industrial loft conversions while others look to new builds, particularly if it means staying in or migrating to the city core.

While still a youth-based industry, some firms are looking for less clutter and more elegance. Some, for example the design team at Montréal’s Ubisoft, are using big data to test out the accepted wisdom about the popularity of spaces and who uses them.

Three recent digital office expansions in Calgary (Benevity), London, Ont. (Digital Extremes) and Montréal (Ubisoft) provide examples of how firms’ office designs are evolving.

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What Freeman and design partner Dorian Zubko did see was the location’s generous windows, natural light and panoramic views of the river valley, city core and Calgary’s emerging East Village. But how exactly to meet the firm’s stated objective of reflecting “goodness” was a challenge.

“We walked out of the initial meeting, looked at each other and asked: what does goodness look like?” says Zubko. The answer, they decided, meant reflecting authenticity. But again, how do you ensure authenticity?

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This spread Spread out over three floors, Make Design Lab developed a specific rhythm creating the neighbourhoods, integrating industrial elements with a diverse mixture of furniture, lighting, angles, materials, colours and graphics. Providing sensory cues helped create distinct spaces for different moods and working styles. Open collaborative work areas were kept to the perimeter, white interior office and meeting spaces, designed to be interchangeable, were given access to natural light and great views.

Photos by MJay Photography

The answer was through using expressive materials and differing colour palettes to create a sense of linked but adaptable neighbourhoods within each 25,000-sq.-ft. floor plate. The other part of authenticity was really listening to the client and staff. “They didn’t want to look like design that was attempting to be [signature design],” says Freeman. “They just wanted their space to look like it is the way it is because, well that’s just the way it is.” Avoiding pretentiousness, given the work they do, was important. Likewise, for example, giving a high level of transparency to the boardrooms reflects the firm’s culture of flat hierarchy and “nothing to hide.”

Distinct neighbourhoods where created with unique colour palettes augmented by varied lighting and furniture styles. “The idea,” says Freeman, “is that you don’t feel you’re in a repetitive state, like an endless hallway of repeating spaces.” Eight different carpet colours play on spatial geometry through shifting angles, and variations in ceiling treatments also help create differentiation between neighbourhoods. Ceiling blades of different coloured felt over hard surfaces both define spatially while responding to acoustic issues. Graffiti-type murals—one with a Banksy-look, one akin to a Chagall—provide whimsy and were created by in-house teams open to all staff.

But there are also nostalgic touches, nods to the older building such as wooden beams, interior brick walls, open ceilings and an industrial-look staircase dropping from the top reception floor to the level below. “Familiarity was definitely important, again because of where the company started there was a sense of legacy,” says Zubko. And familiarity helps sustain this engrained culture.

Given employees differing moods and styles of work, the designers point to elements that provide sensory cues that reflect this divergence of personalities. “A lot of the sensory cues, are organized around the views and the light,” says Freeman. “People have taken over the many informal collaborative work areas…and they tend to chase the sun or the shade throughout the day. They have the right to work anywhere if they do not want to be at their desks.”

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Digital Extremes

Photos by Jesse Gibb - Carve Design

An early (1993) and successful entrant to the gaming software market (the brains behind BioShock, for one), Digital Extremes jumped at the opportunity to take over the expansive ground floor of a vacated Sears in London, Ont.’s downtown Citi Plaza. The latest 26,000-sq.-ft. expansion in the old galleria mall is local firm L360 Architecture’s third iteration for the digital firm. As one of three founders of the Canada BIM Council, principal Paul Loreto believes “they live in the 3D world and we create 3D BIM modeling…. Digital Extremes found [our approach] very powerful during the development of their corporate offices.”

of “sticks” engulfing this glass box gives the space its moniker, The Birds Nest. “It is a nest for nurturing ideas, for the birth of inspiration and it is about daring to soar, to fly higher, all the things a nest should be,” he says poetically. Immediately below is the open informal collaborative space, replete with colourful Muskoka chairs and a green wall.

Included in the multiple breakout spaces are themed meeting rooms.

The Forest Room, with walls and ceiling clad in natural pine boards, is dominated by a massive wood slab conference table held together with large butterfly joints while another mixes a stylized chandelier with bold wall graphics in south seas colours. A third, The Northern Room, features a wall of stacked log ends counterpointed with a glass wall overlooking work stations. A more open congregation and event area near reception is defined by an undulating white wall while the minimalist reception desk itself sits in front of another curved wall screen created with reclaimed wood boards that evoke the porous wall of an old Southern Ontario barn.

But in the end it is the product not the process that ensures repeat engagements. Previously, Digital Extremes had sought and received functionally laid out spaces in their preferred one-floor location that were also capable of stimulating collaborative work in an environment conducive to creativity and imagination. Attracting and holding scarce talent required such design. Unlike Benevity, however, exposure to the exterior is not a preferred option. Instead, the new work stations stretch along a central core, separated from peripheral supporting spaces by rows of “box crate screens,” steel frames punctuated with open wooden boxes.

Given the space’s 17-ft. ceiling, Loreto inserted a raised mezzanine boardroom across the centre of the workstation corridor. A crisscross CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

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Perhaps the most unique space is the Rail Car, designed as a Pullman-like sleeper rail car with bunk beds for recharging creative batteries. “Whether the individual creatively is about to depart on a journey,” Loreto has written, “or whether it has just arrived, the rail car will take the creative mind anywhere it wants to go.”

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This spread The gaming software company’s third expansion project came with several signature elements, such as The Bird’s Nest, a suspended Conference Room designed to provide an elevated experience conducive to high level collaboration; themed meeting rooms such as The Northern Room (shown) or Tiki Room; and The Rail Car rest place for workers in need of a mid-day recharge. Box Crate Screens are a unique method to provide separation between work spaces while at the same time adding additional storage.

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Photos by Adrien Williams ( Karolina Jastrzebska)

Ubisoft Montréal

Smith Vigeant architectes as co-designers (Smith Vigeant were also lead architects for the project and for the passarella).

Montréal’s international videogame powerhouse recently added 56,300 square feet to its Mile-End operation. Located on the ninth and 10th floors of the south tower of a converted industrial complex, it is connected at level 10 by a passarella to the firm’s existing north tower offices. From its beginning, the use of an in-house design team reflects the importance ascribed to the work environment. “At Ubisoft, the workspace is considered an experience in itself and the experience provided by great spaces impacts and engages the people and their emotions while promoting social connections and team collaboration,” says Ubisoft Design Department head Isabelle Dery.

Traffic fluidity is facilitated by generous circulation corridors interspersed with informal “touchdown spaces” to encourage teamwork and accidental exchanges. Such multifunctional spaces ensure employees can select between concentration, collaboration, relaxation and play. “We also created very specific colour-coded window corners that introduce soft curves defining both enclosed and open collaboration spaces,” says Schmitke. These rhythmic curves mediate the linearity of the industrial building, add pops of colour and provide orientation cues. A ninth floor corner cafeteria is dominated by a huge communal dining table to encourage gatherings and exchanges of ideas at varying scales. A vibrant green staircase framed in steel slats connects the two floors and is located at the end of a short tunnel extending from the passarella’s 10th storey entrance. The tunnel, animated with vertical wall lights and an angled, perforated ceiling helps define a large training/meeting area serving both towers.

The team’s two core mission words are “function” and “entertainment” with the former a priority because it impacts productivity and influences vital creative collaboration. “When we create a space, we want to reduce as much as possible the irritants by focusing on flexibility,” she says. However, flexibility is not defined corporately but focuses on employees’ individual and multiple differing needs. “The more people are able to modulate their own work environment the better,” Dery adds. Individual and team autonomy is facilitated by custom multipurpose steel units on wheels allowing for quick team changes and by multiple writable wall surfaces.

Second, functionality means appropriate space performance, whether it is with circulation that ensures fluidity or good workstation ergonomics. The floors’ space organization focuses on progressions and convergences, not unlike the movement within the virtual reality of a video game. In Ubisoft, this means employee engagement is facilitated by a cycle of moving around as a group or by oneself. This is all very abstract, admits Sandra Schmitke, who along with Mélanie Bélisle co-led the project while part of Ubisoft Montreal’s Design Department (Schmitke is now with Inside Studio, and Bélisle with Provencher_Roy, both in Montréal), together with Montréal-based CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

Finally, in addition to introducing a “biophilic laboratory” based on multiple plants, work stations are located next to windows. “We think it is really important to give the premier light spaces to the people,” Schmitke says. Even while walking down a main corridor, brilliantly coloured acrylic fins provide a mediated view of the city outside.

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Entertainment means ensuring that spaces reflect the company’s raison-d’etre. This translated previously into transforming some areas into gaming showcases, spaces where anyone can go and play. But in this project, this role is less evident and playfulness gives way to a more refined, cleaner look. Earlier projects had created disparate styles, so one way to bring these together was to opt for a simpler, more streamlined floor plan with some earlier elements repeated. For example, the coloured vertical slats hint at similar elements from older designs. The project therefore serves to give the Mile-End facility a sense of a coherent complex, not just a bunch of disparate floors.

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This spread Framed by thin steel slats, the staircase was created as a floating element allowing for circulation underneath, while adding a dose of surrealism with different viewing angles creating varying impressions of its mass. In the video game universe, movement and its fluidity are key elements, and just as in a video game, depending on the angle of view, objects can appear or be hidden. These elements translate in the workspace with the use of rhythmic elements, such as colorful curving rows of slats and repeating strips of light.

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the goods

Food à Porter | Alessi Alessi’s new Food à Porter looks more like a stylish purse than a traditional lunch box. Designed by Sakura Adachi, the bag is inspired by Japanese bento boxes in which food is separated into distinct compartments. Here, three stacked sections easily accommodate every meal of the day. Both dishwasher and microwave safe, the thermoplastic resin bag is available in red, light grey and blue with an optional silicone handle. www.alessi.com

Little Luxuries Brass Oil Burner | Aesop Known for body and hair care products, Aesop has launched its first item for the home. The Brass Oil Burner by Studio Henry Wilson is crafted in Australia using a wax casting process that lends a unique character and patina to each resulting product. Made of solid brass, the burner is accompanied by a new oil blend: Béatrice, a woody, citrus scent with notes of Vetiver, Patchouli and Cedar Atlas. www.aesop.com

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seen the goods

By Shannon Moore

Celement Pouch | Celement Lab Taiwan-based Celement Lab has applied its unique cement-meets-silicone material in a new line of handmade products. The Celement Pouch bears the company’s signature material, combining a tough yet soft purse with a convenient zipper for safe storage of cards, keys and coins. Available in classic, gold, copper, pink, black and marble, the Celement Pouch is aesthetically interesting and handy in use. www.triplelivings.com

Bigger isn’t always better. This year’s most sought-after gifts are handsome, handy and perfectly modest in size.

Archetypes | Design Letters Based on a typography hand drawn by the late Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in 1937, Design Letters’ new Archetypes letter charms are both simple and elegant in a characteristically Nordic way. Available in A to Z in two sizes (10mm and 16mm), the letters can be mixed and matched with additional charms including hearts, stars and semi-precious stones. The resulting combinations are hung from 45cm- or 60cm-long chains, with the entire jewelry line made from 925 sterling silver and 18c plated gold. www.designletters.com

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the goods

MyCable and MyCharger | Design Letters The MyCable and MyCharger by Design Letters brings graphic appeal and smart technology to a tool that we use every day. The personalized, letter-branded charging cables contain an intelligent detector that automatically recognizes what kind of device is being used, employing optimal conditions for charging speed and safety. With over-current and short-circuit protection, the braided cables also contain a special winder to banish tangled cords. www.designletters.com

Basquiat Water Bottle | Corkcicle Orlando-based Corkcicle has partnered with Artestar to create a collection of four canteens featuring the art of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. Prominent in the 1970s and ‘80s, Basquiat’s work was both edgy and raw, and characterized by its bold use of colour and urban motifs. In its new line of water bottles, Corkcicle has selected vibrant graffiti-themed designs that pay tribute to Basquiat’s enduring brand. www.corkcicle.com

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the goods

EDIT 01 | Montana Labelle x Namesake Designer Montana Labelle has collaborated with leather atelier Namesake to launch a handsome line of items for the home. Dubbed EDIT 01, the collection features eight distinct objects, from leather nesting bins to 100 per cent marble bookends. Especially perfect for stockings are the leather and steel keyrings and leather-wrapped matchbooks. Both are hand-sewn by Namesake in Toronto and available in black or camel, with optional customized lettering for the latter. www.montanalabelle.com

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scene

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Soirées of the Season Text and photos by David Lasker

Viva Aquavato!

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Aquavato, in Toronto’s King Street East design district, held its VIP grand opening in late September. The central feature of the space is an openconcept staircase whose treads cantilever off a three-point truss. That PoMo industrial look walked me 30 years down Memory Lane to the opening of the late, lamented Triede, the high-end furnishings store were design types would come to buy Michael Graves’s Alessi tea kettle or just admire the trendsetting polished finish on the Venetian-stucco walls. Today, the space’s elegant bones make a fitting backdrop to the large variety of luxury bathroom and kitchen fixtures on display.

1—Aquavato’s Spencer Vaudry, account executive; Krystal McNaughton, manager; Maria Rojas, account executive; and Duane Davis, outside account manager. 2—Olesia Stefurak, architect at OS Design Group; and Henry Calderon, who as a real estate consultant helped shape the King Street East design district, which stretches from Parliament to Yonge Streets. 3—Kohler’s Elaine Birkbeck and Saad Ahmed, sales executives; and Nick Rinaldi, branch sales manager, Ontario, gathered near the 3D-printed Grid faucet and taps from their company’s Kallista luxury brand.

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Wearing white after Labour Day Devron Developments hosted a garden party at the Lawrence Park Lawn Bowling and Croquet Club on a balmy mid-September evening and raised $4,000 in support of the Brain Sciences Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital, while also entertaining prospective buyers of suites in the Winslow condo it has proposed to build in the vicinity.

1—Derek Yeung, director of finance, Devron, and architect Danny Tseng, who has started a new firm, Syllable Design. 2—Interior designer Michelle Mawby, principal at Lucid Interior Design; and Dean Roberts, business leader, operations, Q4 Architects. 3—Devron’s Andrew Murphy, director of acquisition and development; and Pouyan Safapour, COO. 4—Jaye Robinson, Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 25) Don Valley West; and Peter Holmes, co-president, Lawrence Park Lawn Bowling and Croquet Club.

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Thinking BIG

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Just a few blocks from Anish Kapoor’s aluminum Mountain in Toronto’s Simcoe Park stands another, even more majestic abstract peak, the Serpentine Pavilion. Designed by stellar architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, the temporary structure was erected in London’s Kensington Garden in 2016, disassembled and now has touched down on King Street West as part of its first North American tour. The pavilion shimmered in the warm late-afternoon light for an event hosted by developer Westbank. The firm’s collaborations with BIG were the subject of the exhibition in the cavity of the open-air structure.

1—Stephan Jost, director, Art Gallery of Ontario; Ian Gillespie, founder, Westbank; and architect Bjarke Ingels, founder, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). 2—Selena Buckle, actress, lead in Season 6, Episode 4 of CrimeTV’s Web of Lies; Jonathan Friedman, partner at architecture and design firm Partisans; fashion lawyer and trademark agent Anjli Patel; and Jaspreet Sandhu, director, loyalty and engagement, Toronto International Film Festival. 3—Urban planner Peter Venetas; Michael McClelland, principal, and Alexis Cohen, associate, at ERA Architects. 4—Daniel Fusca, senior policy advisor in the City of Toronto’s Resilience Office; former Chief City Planner of Toronto, Jennifer Keesmaat; and Tom Freeman, co-founder of design-industry sales-rep firm FH Group. 5—From RJC Engineers, who were part of the pavilion’s building team: Daniel Snodgrass, structural engineer; Andrew Crosby, associate; and Emeka Atansi, engineering intern.

6—Partisans colleagues Suzan Ibrahim, designer; Ben Salance, project manager; and Nicola Spunt, director of content and culture.

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Karim at BoConcept At Toronto’s BoConcept store, Karim Rashid presented the Ottawa modular seating collection he designed for the Danish brand.

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1—Architectural technologist Daneyka Lazier; early-years teacher Connie Navor; Elaine Cecconi, partner at interior design firm Cecconi Simone; Sia Mahdieh, director of interior design, Pulsinelli; architect Vivian Lo, director, The Right Angle Journal; Cecconi Simone partner Anna Simone and producer Paula Fleck; and Sia Mahdieh’s brother, Ari Archer, a fashion model who trades equities in his company, Archer & Capitalist.

2—Seated: BoConcept’s Soraya Rashid (Karim’s sister), design consultant; Amanda Radji, store manager; Dylan Lee, design consultant. Standing: Rene Jorgensen, store owner; Brandon Murphy, warehouse assistant manager; and Cody Wilson-Thorne, physical marketing. 3—Karim Rashid in his trademark whites; consulting creative director and OCAD University graphic design professor Karen Simpson; and fine-art photographer George Whiteside, currently curating shows at the Lower Junction Gallery and Hollace Cluny. 4—Todd Slonim, partner at law firm Devry Smith Frank; and interior designer Barbara Milner, principal, South Hill Interiors.

5—Sam Esteghamati, architectural technologist, and Maryam Hosseini, architect and interior designer, Sisi Engineering Group; and Christina Butly, HR consultant. 6—Industrial designers John and Sheila Heins, life and business partners at Heins Design; and interior designer Monique Le Ray of Le Ray Design.

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11/12 2018 CANADIAN INTERIORS

2018-11-16 11:46 AM

Photo by Julian Parkinson

over & out

Halifax’s new community space, office and educational workshop relates directly to its African community’s ancestries.

East Coast’s Roots

By John deWolf

As an Africentric-based institute that focuses on educational excellence, the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) assists learners of African ancestry in Nova Scotia, identifying and addressing gaps and equity issues through research, publication and education. In many regards, the DBDLI is the clearing house in Nova Scotia for those with African ancestry, passing along wisdom and shaping scholarship.

chitecture to signage, from material to finish, the Adinkra woodcuts informed the overall design led by a consortium of Ekistics Planning and Design and Form:Media. At the large scale, individual offices seem to have been carved from a large block with a blackened exterior and natural wood interior finish. At the small scale, multiple stacked inked blocks make up walls. Simple black-vinyl linework, evocative of screen printing and handmade cloth, provides safety and privacy screening on glass. Black and white is the basis of the project’s palette, along with hints of red and yellow, referencing its African roots, in addition to a sparing use of brass on door identification, lighting and desk surfaces.

This project started with the notion of the DBDLI as the collectors and distributors of knowledge related to African ancestry in Nova Scotia.

Ghanaian culture was a focus, in particular Adinkra symbols, which are essential in that culture to express ideas. These symbols, woven into cloth and stamped on pottery, are rich with proverbial meaning, depicting historical events, human behaviour and attitudes, animal behaviour, plant life and the shapes of objects. Adinkra cloth uses a combination of symbols for storytelling and passing on knowledge, an apt trope for DBDLI, an organization that acts as elder for its community.

Adinkra printing blocks, often made of woodcuts or carved calabash (a type of gourd), are inked for use in print, using natural dyes. From arCANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2018

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The 4,500-sq.-ft. environment provides flexible work space meant to be either open or sectioned off. A movable partition allows a large community space to subdivide into a boardroom and a classroom, while the rest of the office combines private and open workspaces.

In addition to culturally-appropriate artwork, the office includes a gallery for the display of contemporary artwork from the community.

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John deWolf is vice president of Dartmouth, N.S.-based Form:Media

2018-11-15 2:26 PM

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2018-11-15 3:19 PM

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Graham Steeves 416-948-6987 Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba

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