Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge

Service Retailer
First Place
This project also won a Special Award for innovative architecture
II BY IV Design Associates Inc., Toronto

Although Air Canada's lounges already were popular among its business travelers, the airline wanted to update the spaces to create an expansive, welcoming environment that would 1) appeal to a diverse group of elite travelers, including families, men and women, 2) build brand equity and 3) lead to new sponsorship revenue streams. The design firm and architects drafted a plan, got approval and then went back to the drawing board after a new location was contracted for and the budget was cut by 30 percent. No matter. The 22,000-square-foot lounge at Toronto's Pearson International Airport is a cohesive exercise in modern design and luxury.

A red lacquer wall and steel screen in the lobby frames a long view of the lounge beyond. Once inside, a series of circulation loops define smaller destination areas for refreshments, entertainment and business. A panoramic window signifies one path, while a suspended canopy marks the other. Enclosed by low walnut and glass walls, the raised terrace occupies ample interior space to maximize panoramic exterior views. And throughout the space, a sophisticated materials palette that includes granite, stained walnut, zebra and sycamore wood, clear and sandblasted glass and dark-brown mosaic glass tiles extends the first-class feel.

Client: Air Canada, Toronto
Nathalie Filippetti

Design: II BY IV Design Associates Inc., Toronto

Dan Menchions, Keith Rushbrook

General Contractor: Urbacon Ltd., Toronto

Architect: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, Toronto

Electrical Engineer: Plan Group, Toronto

Mechanical Engineer: Sayers Associates, Mississauga, Ont.

Lighting Design: Suzanna Powadiuk, Toronto

Flooring: InterfaceFLOR, Toronto
Ciot Marble & Granite, Concord, Ont.
Olympia Tile, Toronto
The Sullivan Source, Toronto

Glass: Vast Interiors, Concord, Ont.
Barber Glass, Guelph, Ont.
PPG Industries, Pittsburgh

Surfaces: Evolve Architectural Coatings, Toronto
Ciot Marble & Tile, Concord, Ont.
General Woods and Veneers, Mississauga, Ont.
ICI Paints, Toronto

Window Treatment Fabric: Maharam, Toronto

Lighting: Eurolite, Toronto
Sistemalux, Toronto
Artemide, Toronto

Solar Shades: Solarfective Products, Toronto

Furniture: Nienkämper, Toronto
Teknion, Toronto
Herman Miller, Toronto

Photography: David Whittaker, Toronto