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