design quarterly digital fall magazine - 2012

FALL 2012 Vol. 12 No.4

Q U A R T E R L Y

PM

40

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ShowcaSing Bc & alBerta’S architectS and interior deSignerS

idibc awards of excellencearchitect Michael Green | Kitchen & bath | Prairie wood desiGn awards 2012

®

www.rlrbc.comWestern Canada’s premier lighting and bath showrooms

Vancouver2285 Cambie Street

604.879.2494

Coquitlam1338 United Boulevard

604.523.6555

Edmonton18511-104 Avenue

780.453.5714

Calgary4120 Blackfoot Trail SE

403.245.8637

Penticton240 Industrial Avenue

250.492.2000

Saskatoon829-46 Street E306.664.2389

Kamloops830 Laval Crescent

250.372.7738

Winnipeg1760 Ellice Ave.

204.784.0111

Brandon420 Van Horne Avenue

204.725.1968

Design Inspiration by Robinson Lighting & Bath Centre

Inspiration awaits you at RLRBC. Our showrooms carry a wide selection of the leading names in lighting, bath and kitchen products while our professional staff build confidence with their knowledge and expertise. Come to the location nearest you with your plans - or your dreams - and prepare to be inspired.

Vancouver residence, a project coordinated with our Robinson Lighting & Bath Centre professionals and John Henshaw Architect Inc.

robinson_lighting_bath_dq_idibc_20110920.indd 1 9/20/2011 9:28:39 AM

fall 2012 | desiGn QUarterlY 3

:::::::kitchen & bath

PUBLISHERDan Gnocato

[email protected]

MANAGING EDItoRCheryl Mah

GRAPHIC DESIGN tang Creative Inc.

CoNtRIBUtING WRItERSScott BarnesKevin BestAnita Griffin

Susan KasparPaul SjaardaKathy Wardle

B.C./ALBERtA SALESDan Gnocato

604.549.4521 ext. 223

PRINtED IN CANADA

PUBLISHED BY

PRESIDENtKevin Brown

VANCoUVER oFFICE 114 – 42 Fawcett DriveCoquitlam, BC V3K 6X9tel: 604.549.4521Fax: 604.549.4522

toRoNto oFFICE 1000-5255 Yonge St.toronto, oN M2N 6P4tel: 416.512.8186Fax: 416.512.8344

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For all subscription inquiries or changes of address, please contact [email protected]

Q U A R T E R L Y

FALL 2012 Vol. 12 No.4

www.designquarterly.ca

the purpose of Design Quarterly is to reflect and represent practitioners and professionals in the architectural, interior design and design resource communities throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

PRoUD SPoNSoR oF

contents

06 DESIGNER PRoFILE Michael Green this has been a busy and rewarding year for architect Michael Green. Not only did he start his new firm Michael Green Architecture but the release of his feasibility study has sparked an important conversation around the world on the future of carbon neutral large urban buildings.

12 tRENDS the Modern Workplace Environment

27 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENt IDIBC Awards of Excellence

14 Kitchen & Bath Evolving Kitchen Design Kitchen Ventilation takes Centre Stage Smart Solutions High-Performance Bathrooms

FEAtURES

On the cOver: MJ Jewellers by Box Interior Design won IDIBC Best in Show.

DEPARtMENtS04 From the Editor

44 Architects in BC Health Advocacy: A New Role for Design Professionals

45 IDA Effective Use of Colour

46 Design Headlines

FEBRUARY 13 & 14, 2013

MARCH 19 & 20, 2013

NoVEMBER 6 & 7, 2012

®

www.rlrbc.comWestern Canada’s premier lighting and bath showrooms

Vancouver2285 Cambie Street

604.879.2494

Coquitlam1338 United Boulevard

604.523.6555

Edmonton18511-104 Avenue

780.453.5714

Calgary4120 Blackfoot Trail SE

403.245.8637

Penticton240 Industrial Avenue

250.492.2000

Saskatoon829-46 Street E306.664.2389

Kamloops830 Laval Crescent

250.372.7738

Winnipeg1760 Ellice Ave.

204.784.0111

Brandon420 Van Horne Avenue

204.725.1968

Design Inspiration by Robinson Lighting & Bath Centre

Inspiration awaits you at RLRBC. Our showrooms carry a wide selection of the leading names in lighting, bath and kitchen products while our professional staff build confidence with their knowledge and expertise. Come to the location nearest you with your plans - or your dreams - and prepare to be inspired.

Vancouver residence, a project coordinated with our Robinson Lighting & Bath Centre professionals and John Henshaw Architect Inc.

robinson_lighting_bath_dq_idibc_20110920.indd 1 9/20/2011 9:28:39 AM

desiGn QUarterlY | fall 20124

from the editor::::::: :::::::

celebrating excellence

a job well done deserves praise and rec-ognition. With two small children, I learned quickly that praise is a pow-erful parenting tool to help build self-esteem and confidence. It encourages

my children to continue their efforts. We’re never too young or old to appreciate a compliment — whether it’s from our mother, friend or peers. It’s always nice to receive praise.

The design industry recognizes praise for its members is a valuable tool as well. That’s why ev-ery year IDIBC holds its Awards of Excellence — an event to celebrate excellence in interior design and to promote its members throughout the province.

We are delighted once again to showcase the talented design community in B.C. with our cover-age of the IDIBC Awards of Excellence. This year Box Interior Design was the Best in Show winner for its work on MJ Jewellers. The transforma-tion of this jewelry boutique into a contemporary and elegant retail experience earned top honours among the entries. The design firm was a double winner, also taking home an award of excellence for Black & Blue (which we featured in our sum-mer 2012 issue).

No stranger to winning awards is architect Mi-chael Green, our designer profile for this issue. With more than two decades of experience, he en-joys working at a range of scales from furniture to international airports. It was a real pleasure speak-ing with Michael about his career and what moti-vates him. He had many meaningful things to say and I couldn’t help but be inspired by his desire to drive important changes that will make a differ-ence to serious global issues.

Also inside, you will find our kitchen and bath feature. We take a look at storage solutions, kitchen hoods and evolving kitchen and bath designs.

Finally, two design professionals share thoughts on the use of colour and the need to open up the conversation about material health in projects.

We hope you enjoy the read.

Cheryl MahManaging Editor

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designer profile:::::::

innovative leaders are passionate, have vi-sion and are not afraid of making mistakes.

These are all traits that become read-ily apparent as Vancouver architect Mi-chael Green talks about his career and the

pressing issues that are driving him to change the conversation within the profession.

“I want to work on new ways of thinking about issues of sustainability and what I call systemic change issues — things that are big focus changes that would allow us as a pro-fession to make a difference ultimately on the world’s big problems — housing, climate change, slum developments,” he says.

Green speaks with passion and honesty — straight from the heart — and you can’t help but feel inspired.

An award winning architect known for unique and diverse projects, Green has been dedicating much of his time of late to advo-cating for changes needed to address serious global issues.

:::::::

“Architecture is a great noble profes-sion that sometimes get trapped in talk-ing about shapes, colours and social forms rather than talking about social change, happiness and issues like affordable hous-ing. We are marginalizing our profession by not talking about these important is-sues — by not being able to communicate what’s important about design to every day people,” says Green, who spent a whirlwind week of traveling for lectures, conferences and meetings in early October.

He points out how the built environ-ment is a significant contributor to the growth in greenhouse gas emissions, ener-gy consumption and other factors damag-ing the same environment that architects are seeking to improve. He believes the design and construction community can make a profound difference by looking at these overwhelming global challenges in new ways.

changing the conversation

The 46-year-old architect has come a long way from his small arctic town roots. Originally from the northwest corner of Hudson’s Bay (now Nunavut), Green grew up in Ottawa and always knew he wanted to be an architect. His appreciation for ar-chitecture also stemmed in part from his grandfather, who was a notable architect in the U.S.

“I knew I wanted to be an architect when I was really young — lots of Legos, building, art — but I didn’t really understand what it meant to be an architect,” he recalls. “I don’t think I understood what it meant to be an ar-chitect until I was probably 30 and already an architect.”

He describes himself as a “terrible student” when he attended Cornell University to earn a bachelor of architecture degree.

“I was climbing mountains, guiding pro-fessionally in the woods and not focusing on architecture,” he says with a laugh.

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::::::: :::::::designer profile

After graduating in 1989, he started his career in the New Haven offices of re-nowned U.S. architect Cesar Pelli, best known for designing some of the world’s tallest buildings such as the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Green spent eight years learning from Pelli, an early role model, who would influence how he would run his own practice.

“It was a great education and best of all it was a great studio environment. He showed me how to run a studio with the right culture and how you get good design through culture and being hands on — all tools that I still use today,” says Green. “The way I run my practice really came out of that experience.”

He moved to Vancouver in 1997 and joined Architectura as a senior associate in 1998 (eventually becoming the youngest shareholder) where he worked on a number of international airports including leading the design of Phase I for the Ottawa Air-port. After the firm was acquired by Stantec, Green decided to strike out on his own with partner Steve McFarlane in 2003. Interior designer Michelle Biggar joined a short time

later and Mcfarlane Green Biggar Architec-ture and Design was formed.

The firm started in a modest 269-square-foot studio built in the backyard of Green’s North Vancouver home. Called the Accessory Building, it earned the young firm its first of many design awards. The firm quickly grew and became known for its design excellence

in a wide range of projects such as the Prince George Airport, North Vancouver City hall and unique retail spaces. After nine years, the partners decided to part ways and formed two new firms. Green founded Michael Green Architecture (MGA) in March 2012.

“All the projects that I was running came with me along with 15 people from the old

firm. It was a good thing because we weren’t aligning philosophically,” explains Green about the split. “It allowed me to really ex-press myself freely about the kind of practice I want to run and the issues that I want to talk about.”

And what Green wants to talk about are “systemic change issues” that will ultimately make a difference on two big global prob-lems — climate change and world housing.

At the same time as he was setting up his new firm in Vancouver’s Gastown, his feasibility study (co-authored with struc-tural engineer Eric Karsh) called The Case for Tall Wood Buildings was released, giv-ing him the platform to “start evangelizing on the subject” of building carbon neutral taller buildings.

The 200-page plus document encourages the design community to push the envelope of conventional thinking by demonstrating that wood is a viable material for tall and large buildings. It introduces a new construc-tion method using mass timber panels called FFTT (Finding the Forest Through the Trees).

Green, who developed an appreciation for wood at an early age by building with it

…what Green wants to talk about are “systemic

change issues” that will ultimately make a difference

on two big global problems – climate change and

world housing.

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::::::: :::::::designer profile

10

and still does today, says he was motivated to propose tall wood buildings as a way to tackle climate change.

“I really didn’t ever expect that it would receive the attention it’s received,” says Green, adding he recently learned that his report is now required reading for architec-ture students both at Yale University and Parsons. “I’m hearing from academics and architects from all around the world and there’s this incredible energy that the con-versation has sparked.”

Liked minded architects have taken up the challenge of building tall with wood. The Stadthaus, a nine-storey building in Britain, is currently touted as the world’s tallest wooden structure. A number of tall wood buildings are being proposed around the world, notes Green, but his goal is to build the tallest wood building right here in Vancouver.

“I want the first one to be in Vancouver. It’s about our story; it’s our economy. I’ve got possibly three projects in the 20 storey range,” says Green, who hopes to build the first pro-totype by next spring. “We need to build one. We need an Eiffel tower moment.”

The B.C. building code currently limits wood structures to six storeys but allows al-ternative solutions that show performance and according to Green’s research, it is pos-sible to build up to 30 storeys.

“People thought I was crazy especially engi-neers. Now it’s read by a lot of engineers. We have more testing, detailing, it’s not done but it’s a document that lays the groundwork,” says Green. “And there are lots of other sys-temic conversations worth having in the pro-fession and this is just one.”

Green brings that same conviction and meaningful approach to his firm’s work. He

enjoys working at a range of scales from furniture to international airports where the design results in positive environmen-tal, economic and social outcomes. Projects are primarily located in B.C. but can extend around the globe.

“We’ve designed some important and meaningful projects that include a Ronald McDonald house, which I’m really passion-ate about,” he says.

Under construction, the new home for 73 families will be the second largest Ronald McDonald House in Canada and features cross-laminated timber construction. Oth-er current projects include public art proj-ects, a fashion retail store, three private residences, Sixth & Willow and kindergar-tens in Tajikistan.

His design philosophy is simplicity.“I think design is most beautiful when

it’s simple,” says Green. “The less you use the better.”

With MGA’s New York office opening this fall, the firm now numbers 19 people.

“I’m really hands on. I’m involved in every project in some way. I feel very fortunate for an incredible team of designers that work with me that share the same kinds of passion and interests,” says Green. “We’ll always con-tinue in my practice to explore a lot of differ-ent conversations.”

Green also lectures and teaches around the world including recent lectures at Yale Uni-versity and at the Innovation Conference in

New York. Earlier this year he taught a new design-build class at UBC where students de-signed fruit stands in the Okanagan.

“I want to teach them what I think design is about, which is not just a pretty picture but actually about touching someone’s life and making their lives better at a human level,” says Green.

He is also excited about a new design competition called Timber in the City that challenges architecture students to design a mid-rise, mixed use complex for a site in Brooklyn using wood.

“It’s about triggering this new conversa-tion in academia and bringing on a whole generation of young architects thinking about the way we build in a whole new way,” he says.

Giving more opportunities to exceptional young designers in Vancouver is another change he would like to see.

“We have some really good young firms here and I want to seem them shine,” says Green. “We need to move beyond some of the firms that are frankly, stuck in some old school thinking of the way buildings are de-signed and we need to embrace the next gen-eration of designers. The image of the city is controlled by a brand of towers that is too limited right now. We need diversity.”

Despite the many demands on his time, family life is equally important to the single father of two. He has a daughter Elsa, 9 and a son, Makalu, 11.

“They are my priority. My boy just became the youngest person to kayak the seven con-tinents,” says Green, who is an avid outdoor sports enthusiast. “Most of my inspiration in the world comes from my other life — climb-ing in the outdoors. Yvon Chouinard is a huge hero of mine.” DQ

“we need to build one. we need an eiffel tower moment.”

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::::::: :::::::trends

new trends in working habits are influencing progressive businesses to have their offic-es designed with more varied spaces like lounge and casual

meeting areas rather than just fixed desks where a worker stays at their computer all day. New technologies for mobile communi-cation, a focus on sustainability, and an un-derstanding how the design of the workplace directly affects productivity and profitability of a company are all factors to consider when planning their office environments.

Gone are the days of dark, closed personal panel-based cubicles with a large desktop computer and a wilting desktop plant. To-day’s employees are communicating with lo-cal and international clients and colleagues on mobile devices through text, email, or sky-pe from anywhere and any time. This means that they require less desk space for large computers and personal storage space. They can just as effectively communicate from the office lounge, cafeteria, or on their commute home. This concept includes much more than the trending “open-office” bench-style desk, it must also include areas for employees to retreat for concentrated individual work, communicate and share information sponta-neously, meet in small or large workgroups, and interact with clients and coworkers.

Denise Cherry, the design director at Stu-dio O+A in San Francisco, which has de-signed offices for Facebook, AOL, Microsoft, Square, and Yelp, believes in the importance of something she calls “tertiary spaces”: spaces that aren’t conference rooms and that

aren’t personal desks, either. They’re in-be-tween areas that are quiet, where technical people can focus without being locked away in some white-walled room.

The focus on a sustainable environment covers everything from the lighting, energy consumption, air flow, ergonomic health of employees and social environment of the workplace, to the energy and waste practic-es of the factory that produces the furniture for the office.

LED lighting can reduce energy consump-tion. Since there has been an increase in de-mand for LED lighting, more manufacturers are designing beautiful fixtures with increased CRI light quality and decreased costs.

Desks and cabinets that are raised off the floor increase air flow and therefore air qual-ity as compared to full-length wall cubicle systems. An office with a variety of types of work areas encourages people to work in dif-ferent positions and to move around which is even more beneficial than simply an ergo-nomic task chair. Physical activity is integrat-ed into office etiquette as a matter of course. A healthy workplace will include standard work seats, but also sofas and seating areas in a variety of forms

Employees are a huge part of a compa-ny’s expenditure, and every employee that is trained represents an investment for the company. It is increasingly important for the work environment to be a place that influenc-es workers in a positive way. Better working conditions foster more motivated and more productive employees. As our workplaces become less focused on a production-based

economy and more focused on a knowledge-based economy, retaining skilled knowledge-based workers requires a communicative, so-cial environment.

A combination of collaboration and per-sonal work spaces increases knowledge shar-ing, speeds training, increases employee retention and productivity. The way of the future in an increasingly knowledge-based business world is to leverage employees’ skills and emotions to create a stronger and more successful business. Ninety per cent of knowledge workers are convinced that the quality of their environment influences their productivity (source: Design + Performance Report, Workplace Survey 2008, Gensler Architects). In a war for employee talents, companies need to come to terms with the requirements of current and future genera-tions of employees.

Furniture makes up just one to two per cent of the costs for an office, while staff costs contribute approximately 80 per cent of the total expenditure (source: Deutsches Buromobel Forum). By investing properly in the one to two per cent costs, a company can increase the productivity of 80 per cent of its expenditure.

According to Gensler’s 2008 Workplace Survey, “top performing companies place greater value on the non-focus work modes, and provide better designed spaces that sup-port employees across all of the varied activi-ties engaged in on a daily basis.” A workplace that is designed with this focus was shown to yield: 28 per cent improvement in focus; 27 per cent in collaboration; 27 per cent in learning and 23 per cent in socializing.

A great solution is clusters of high-back sofas for acoustically private meeting spaces which eliminate the need for build-ing permanent walled boardrooms that take up more valuable office real estate than necessary. Design-based solutions like these are important considerations for business owners and office designers when planning an office environment. DQ

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::::::: kitchen & bath

if modern kitchens were friends of yours, you would likely be intrigued, and per-haps a little jealous. Oh yes, they started out modestly enough, but just look at them now. Once uncelebrated and utili-

tarian domestic spaces, they have enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame. Their images tempt us on glossy covers at magazine stands; they are hot topics of conversation at dinner par-ties, and everyone is asking: “What will they do next?”

While the aim of good design is that it be timeless and functional, no space is static. As the hardest working room in the house its little wonder that the kitchen receives so much thought and attention. Always keeping pace with the needs of the homeowner, the kitchen is no longer content to remain within the typical four walls of the home. The most significant trend we’ve been seeing is kitch-ens that create a seamless transition between indoors and out.

We are moving past the idea of separate outdoor kitchens, and instead designing well thought out indoor kitchens, complete with all the desired accoutrements, that can adapt to serve both spaces in a cohesive way. These highly flexible indoor/outdoor “great rooms” are made possible by large openings that can be closed off in cool weather by good look-ing, folding concertina doors, or even indus-

trial looking glass and steel overhead garage doors. When roof overhangs are sufficient, and municipal standards provide for it, the floor level between indoor and outdoor spac-es can be made virtually continuous, allowing for a variety of seating configurations, and further softening the distinction between in-terior and exterior space.

Another feature that seems to be gaining momentum is the reduction of the sill be-tween countertops and windows. Just as the infinity edge on a pool opens the view to the horizon, these “infinity edge” windows, where the glass sits at approximately the same level as the countertop, add to the sense of connec-tion to the surrounding landscape.

Kitchen islands are the hub of family and social life as the “go to” spot for food prep, ap-petizers, and homework alike. We often offer our clients an outdoor version of the same concept. Where interior countertops are lo-cated below windows that open to decks or patios we’ve been designing indoor / out-door seating bars. Concertina windows that can fold away leave generous openings from the interior to the exterior space. The same countertop used indoors is also installed with an overhang outside, creating a second place for family and guests to sit comfortably (wine glass in hand) and visit with the chef during warm weather.

Continuity in materials has become in-creasingly important as indoor and outdoor spaces meld together. A recent project in-volved not only a kitchen addition, but an outdoor barbecue area, pool, and dining pavilion as well. A great deal of thought and research was required to ensure countertop materials were suitable for not only the inte-rior kitchen counters and island, but to with-stand the freeze/thaw and UV exposure of the outdoor barbecue area as well. Likewise the stain used on the tongue and groove kitchen ceiling had to perform equally well outdoors on the exterior soffits and stained columns of the adjacent dining pavilion.

Finishes that are easily cleaned, and more indoor/outdoor friendly are often selected for these kitchens. White cabinetry (although a perennial classic) is being passed over in fa-vour of harder wearing stained wood doors, or painted doors in darker shades. The kitchen in the project described above was painted in earthy greyed tones that further emphasized its connection to the landscaping and stone patio just outside the large barn style doors. Backsplashes featuring light coloured grout are also out of place in these spaces with the trend being either the countertop carrying on up the wall to form the backsplash, or larger tiles completed with greyed or darker grouts to further ease the burden of cleaning.

What will kitchens do next? As their his-tory is one of evolving in response to our ever-changing needs and lifestyles they will undoubtedly continue to do so. They of-fer the foundation from which we cook, eat, drink, welcome friends, and gather as fam-ily (indoors, outdoors, and sometimes both at once!) More than any other room in the house, the kitchen is a combination of what serves up personally, and what we want to share publicly with the community around us. So… would I be jealous of the attention kitchens received were they friends of mine? Nope, they deserve it. What room could pos-sibly understand me better? DQ

Ken Best is a senior designer with Syn-thesis Design Inc., a residential design firm based in North Vancouver. Synthesis has completed a variety of projects in the Low-er Mainland, the Gulf Islands, the United States, and Moscow Russia. Ken serves as a project manager alongside principals Lyn-da Krahn and Curtis Krahn. Contact him at [email protected]

:::::::

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WHAT GOES UPMUST BRING COSTS DOWNNo matter how high a building reaches, it’s the bottom line that’s most important. And with BC Hydro’s New Construction Program, developers can save even more money through energy-efficient buildings. Proven to be happier, healthier places to work and live, energy-efficient buildings also enjoy enhanced marketability, higher asset value, and lower turnover. And we’ll be there from the start, helping with building design, system design and lighting design. We’ve streamlined the application process and increased funding to help with initial cost barriers. So not only will your next project be energy efficient, but economically efficient as well.

If you’re in the planning stages of a new project, we’d like to tell you more about how we can help get you started on an energy-efficient building.

For more information, call 604 522 4713 in the Lower Mainland, 1 866 522 4713 elsewhere in BC, or visit bchydro.com/construction.

BC Hydro’s Luis Damy wants to make one point very clear: “We are not here to tell architects, designers, engineers how to design a build-ing. The New Construction Program is not about taking over their jobs. They know what they’re doing.” Instead, he says, “our purpose is simply to enable them to go beyond building code, to give their clients the best design possible.”

But going beyond building code to increase energy savings can be difficult. Clients may want to be energy efficient, but worry about incre-mental costs and wonder whether sexy new innovations — such as fast-acting radiant heating and cooling or variable refrigerant flow systems — will really pay for themselves over the long term. “What they need is proof,” says Damy, “which is why we fund up to 100 per cent of an energy modeling study for larger buildings early in the design process.”

BC Hydro’s New Construction Program offers three options for com-mercial, institutional and multi-unit residential new developments or major building retrofits of all sizes. For larger projects with the poten-tial for at least 50,000 kWh in electricity savings, the Whole Building Design option will fund 50 per cent of an energy modeling study done by an approved consultant (which may cost anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000, depending on the size and complexity of the building), and will provide the remaining 50 per cent if the building includes at least half of the energy-saving measures identified in the study.

An important bonus: those same energy-saving measures may also be eligible for significant capital incentives. The better the electric-ity savings achieved compared to conventional building design, the higher the incentive BC Hydro will provide.

“This gives building designers many more options to choose from,” says Damy. “Measures they may have avoided because of cost, they can now consider. And that means they can give their clients an even better building, at close to the same cost as a less energy-efficient one, with the added benefit of long-term operational savings from lower energy bills.”

Engineer and energy modeler Chris Flood of Vancouver’s Cobalt Engineering is a big fan of the New Construction Program. “Energy modeling allows us to investigate various design types and different configurations of a building envelope,” he says. “With building design becoming more complex all the time, modeling lets us explore ideas and actually see which ones will work and which we should eliminate. It’s essentially value engineering at the very start of a project, rather than at the end. And with BC Hydro footing the bill for the study, and providing good money for installing efficient equipment, there’s no reason for our clients not to want this.”

The other New Construction Program options are System Design and Energy-Efficient Lighting Design. The first is, like Whole Building Design, intended for larger projects that offer the potential for at least 50,000 kWh in electricity savings, but that are further along in the design process. It provides incentives for design teams specifically to investigate and install energy-efficient building systems. The second provides financial incentives and tools to help lighting designers cre-ate and install energy-efficient lighting systems that exceed building code by 10 per cent or more.

Says Cobalt Engineering’s Chris Flood, “BC Hydro has a very expe-rienced team of technical engineers on staff. They know what they need and how to direct us so we go through the process very easily. They help the design team move forward. Their whole purpose is to promote and drive energy-efficient designs, and they’re really good at it. It’s a great service.”

To find out more about BC Hydro’s New Construction Program, visit bchydro.com/construction or call 1.866.522.4713.

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If you haven’t visited the City of Vancouver’s Creekside Community Recreation Centre yet, you should. It has a fitness centre, gym, dance studio, on-site childcare, soon-to-be-opened restaurant and fabulous views of False Creek and the North Shore mountains.

It also achieved the highest LEED® Platinum certification for green design, in large part because of its terrific energy efficiency.

“Virtually no energy gets wasted there,” says Vladimir Mikler of Cobalt Engineering, “and it has a lot of unique features – for instance, Creekside is the first building in North America to use a solar absorption chiller in combination with radiant cooling, which is incredibly energy efficient.”

But Creekside could have easily missed out on such a unique and effective feature if Cobalt had not worked with BC Hydro’s New Construction Program to complete an energy modeling study during the earliest design phase.

“Energy modeling,” says Mikler, “allows for rigorous analysis of options to reduce energy use and, with BC Hydro’s support, it’s affordable. We believe all new large construction projects should take the advantage of this program: the buildings will perform significantly better and the owners will benefit from an immediate reduction in operating costs.”

Looking for new ways to build better? Visit bchydro.com/construction or call 1 866 522 4713.

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PlANNING A NEW BUIldING? Why yOU ShOUld BEGIN WITh ENERGy MOdElING


kitchen & bath:::::::

a range hood is a prominent com-ponent of kitchen design. It sits at the centre of the kitchen and with one glance it expresses the décor values of the homeowner

or designer. It remains however, one of the least understood appliances in the kitchen and woe to the homeowner who finds out after a range hood is installed that it’s both noisy and inefficient.

It’s been a number of years since range hoods were thought of as last minute add-ons to the appliance list for good kitchen design; styles have evolved to the point where the range hood can be thought of as an individually designed piece that comple-ments the other appliances in the room as well as performing one of the most impor-tant functions.

And this is where good design cannot trump great performance when it comes to range hoods. With the industry ever-evolv-ing towards a greener, more energy effi-cient environment, range hoods have had to evolve as well. The question for many kitch-en designers and builders isn’t so much just design-driven, now it’s technology-driven as well. Let’s look at some terminology and ba-sic facts about range hoods and their func-tions to chart the evolution.

The basic hood types are: wall-mounted, island, 1-piece liners and under-cabinet. Most range in size from 24 inches up to 60 inches (which is what you’ll need if you are working with a professional range.) What is the actual function of a range hood? It’s not

just to suck up the smoke from cooking. The benefits of a range hood that performs its functions well are many. A good range hood should decrease mildew and prevent peel-ing and discoloration of wall finishes due to moisture and contaminants. It should mini-mize build-up of cooking odours and grease in draperies, walls, cabinets and clothing. A range hood removes excess cooking heat and household chemical vapours from the kitchen, i.e. oil smell, cleaning detergents, etc. It should also reduce mould and bac-teria build-up on countertops and cooking areas, making clean-up that much easier. It is estimated that the average family of four produces up to one gallon of grease every year during the process of cooking.

Given the plethora of range hood brands and choices, how do you measure one range from another? There are a few terms that are important to become familiar with — know-ing what they mean will help determine the best choice of hood:

CFM A range hood’s performance is mea-sured in Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM). This is a measure of how much air can be removed from a given space in a single minute. An-other way of thinking of CFM is horse power in a car. It’s really a measure of performance.

Sones A sone is an internationally recog-nized measurement of loudness. It is a unit of loudness as perceived by a person with normal hearing. This is the level and quality of noise a range hood will emit in a kitchen environment when properly ducted. An ex-ample of the difference in sones is that a soft

whisper can be measure at 0.5 sones, while traffic noise is about 8 sones.

BTU A British Thermal Unit is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the tempera-ture of one pound of liquid water by one de-gree from 60˚ to 61˚ F. More importantly, BTUs is the performance measurement of all ranges. A typical range BTU measurement is 60,000 BTU.

Aside from looking for range hoods with high BTUs and low sones, what other ad-vances have been made? Great strides in energy efficiency have been made recent-ly; you can find range hoods that not only meet Energy Star requirements, but surpass them — exceeding minimum efficacy levels by 14.2 CFM/W and pulling approximately 30 per cent more CFM on working speed settings. There has been a shift from using alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) which means less energy consumed and a dramatic difference in noise level.

LED bulbs are another innovation that can be found in the marketplace. Look for range hoods that utilize LED bulbs because they feature natural light hues, excellent energy-saving wattage (3 watts versus 20-50 with halogen), and a remarkable 25,000 hours of life versus 2,000 hours offered by halogens. They also provide uniform light distribution and are cool to the touch.

No one has to settle for anything less than maximum performance and energy savings. Given that these ‘advances’ we’ve talked about are here and being utilized, it’s fair to say that the future of ventilation is now. DQ

kitchen ventilation takes centre stage

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Zephyr – Napoli

Island

buildex dps dq summer.indd 1 8/10/12 10:34 AM


kitchen & bath::::::: :::::::

as one of the most frequently utilized rooms in the home, the kitchen presents distinctive organizational chal-lenges. Unlike a bedroom, a kitchen often finds multiple family members sharing the space at the same time while performing tasks that can interfere with one an-

other; from stashing groceries, washing dishes and prepping a meal, to snacking, having a glass of wine or mopping the floor.

If the kitchen is small, these simultaneous tasks can become over-whelming. Fortunately, there’s a growing selection of stylish, func-tional tools and design elements to help make smarter use of a kitch-en space no matter what the size.

pantriesA well-stocked, well-organized pantry area can help make cooking a breeze. The design should allow homeowners to see what’s available at a glance in order to save time as they prepare a meal.

Great organizational tools to incorporate are pull-out bins since they provide easy access to items and come in different shapes and sizes to fit most food articles. They also come in a variety of colours and materials to better match kitchen design themes.

Adjustable shelves are another great option. They can be used to store small appliances in order to free up countertop space. This is an extremely flexible option since adjustable shelving can be manipulated to hold different sized items as a homeowner’s needs shift.

Last, consider installing pantry cabinets. They’re ideal for larger family homes because they can hold bulky boxes and bags from ware-house stores.

cabinets & drawersThese days, there are so many options for cabinet organization that finding the best solution for a homeowner’s specific needs is easy. They include wood pull-outs, waste containers, pull-out wire baskets, divid-ers, storage racks, cabinet door storage organizers, door mount cutting boards and wicker pull-out baskets. Not only are these options great for maximizing space, they also promote contemporary design.

kitchen islandsIf the space permits, consider installing a kitchen island. Not only do they create extra counter space, they also provide more room for storage. Kitchen islands are easy to navigate around when working with a lot of cooking ingredients. They also give the kitchen a con-temporary feel and serve as an aesthetic divider between the dining room and kitchen.

counter spaceMore counter space ranks high on the wish list of kitchen improve-ments for many homeowners. Whether they’re working on an entire kitchen remodel, or simply making some basic enhancements, there are several avenues you can take to increase their countertop area.

Countertops are notorious clutter collectors. Start by encourag-ing homeowners to gather and properly store misplaced toys, clean-ing supplies, mail, shopping bags, and kitchen utensils. Then, help them categorize the types of appliances that live on the counter by frequency of use. If they’re used every now and then versus at least several times a week, ask them to store them in the pantry or in the kitchen cabinets.

One of the easier ways to increase the counter space in a kitchen is to replace standard countertops with those that extend an additional 6-8 inches along one or more sides. Foldaway countertop extensions — like those often used in RVs — are another effective space saver for kitchens tight on real estate. Extensions can be installed as a hinged, gate-leg countertop at the end of an existing counter or as a fold-up countertop attached to a wall.

A mixer lift mechanism can free up precious counter space in your kitchen as well. It’s ideal for home cooks who don’t use their mixers regularly, but hesitate to store them away because of their weight. Since it acts as its own countertop, the appliance won’t decrease valu-able counter space as it can be easily stored away.

space-saving appliances Other ways to clear counters of clutter include space saving appliance organization techniques. For example, you can attach an electric can opener under an upper cabinet or you can place a microwave in be-tween two upper cabinets instead of on the countertop.

accessoriesHere are some great ways to organize kitchen accessories in order to free up counter and cabinet space:

• Utilize vertical space by using decorative hooks to display pans, dishtowels and oven mitts

• Use magnetic strips to hang metal items such as tongs and turners • Decorative tall containers are useful for holding soup ladles, spat-

ulas and other utensils • Hanging racks are an ideal way to increase cabinet space formerly

hogged by bulky pots and pans • Use wall mounted racks for wine bottles and stemware to tap into

vertical space while also enhancing décor. DQ

Scott Barnes has more than eight years experience in home organi-zation products, space design and installation. He is a business sup-port representative and franchise owner of Tailored Living, experts in whole home organization. www.tailoredliving.com.

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kitchen & bath::::::: :::::::

in today’s most covetable bathrooms, time-less style is just as important as effortless functionality. And this year, it’s all about designs that anticipate the needs of every day users. Everyone uses water differently

and it’s the designer’s prerogative to create a bathroom that complements their client’s life-style. New products make it easier to imple-ment their vision. From varying faucet spout heights, to all inclusive shower systems, de-signs are effortlessly blending technology and style, while allowing personal customization to enhance our daily activities in the home.

the expanding role of the bathroomMore and more, designers are anticipating the individual needs and preferences of us-ers with faucets with multiple spout heights. The faucet not only accommodates the size, style and shape of any sink, but suits a variety of uses. Today’s families are using their bath-room sinks far beyond brushing teeth and washing hands. From washing hair to filling a watering can, the ability to choose the right faucet height is of the utmost importance.

the personalized shower experienceGone are the days of the archaic stationary shower experience. The newest shower sys-tems can be designed any number of ways with shower, handshower and water jets. For a luxurious feel in the bathroom, not to mention a quick installation, look for a shower panel with shelving for easy access to bath accessories. Today’s homeowners de-sire a truly personalized shower experience so they can choose the perfect water place-ment, direction, spray and temperature. It just goes to prove that technology may change but we will always want a luxurious shower after a long day.

technology that complements busy lifestylesSimple, seamless technology in the bathroom is also making a splash. As the traditional family dynamic evolves into multi-genera-tional homes, the marriage of smart design and innovative electronics is now being seen in the bathroom faucet. The mobility needs of family members of all ages — from toddlers to

grandparents — are recognized with touch-activated or hands-free faucet functions. In-dividuals living with chronic conditions that affect dexterity or mobility can benefit from the addition of automatic water flow, as turn-ing a tap can be difficult. For children, it may be difficult to reach the faucet handle but a touch faucet can make washing hands fun and easy.

Electronic lavatory faucets also make it easy to turn water off between tasks to save water. A staggering 30 per cent of Canadians leave the water running while brushing their teeth. Many homeowners are environmen-tally conscious but don’t realize how easy it can be to save water in the bathroom. Just by turning the water off while brushing can save up to nine gallons of water a day. A touch- activated faucet can make water-saving habits convenient. Faucets that flawlessly integrate their intuitive technology with wa-ter-saving functions and sleek design demon-strate how designers can anticipate the needs of the entire family.

the playful bathroom workspaceOur interactions with water extend beyond the sink and into the actual configuration of our bathroom. Designers are showing a greater appreciation for the importance of customization, and are offering suites that allow homeowners to create a unique bath-room workspace. Collections that allow for custom positioning of faucets, handles and shelves make bathroom design fun for de-signers and homeowners alike. Left-handed users may choose to put faucet handles on the left side of the sink while homeowners with small children may want the handles lower on the counter. With the help of imagination and creativity, the bathroom becomes an ex-pression of individuality. DQ

Anita Griffin is the director of marketing communications at Masco Canada Limited. Masco Canada Ltd. is the Canadian plumb-ing division of Masco Corporation and rep-resents numerous brands including: Delta, BrassCraft, Brizo, Delta Commercial, Hans-grohe, Motiv, Master Plumber, PlumbShop and Waltec. For more information on Masco Canada, or the product portfolio, please visit the website at mascocanada.com.

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special supplement idibc awards of excellence

28

While reviewing the entries for the 2012 IDIBC Awards one week prior to the Awards Gala event that age old question

crept into my head — ‘how do we define and communicate the value of interior design?’

As designers we recognize that behind each project image depicting a design that appears effortless, there are painstaking hours of de-tailing, acceptance of budget challenges, on-going consultant and site coordination and most critically, the delicate balance between client expectations and project realities.

Every project entry for this year’s IDIBC Awards was exemplary of the high quality of de-sign associated with IDIBC’s professional mem-bers. As a judged competition tough decisions were required to select the Awards of Excellence and Merit, and ultimately the Best in Show.

It is fascinating to observe judging day. Some projects elicit immedi-ate consensus while the majority result in back and forth conversation. Then, there are those that give rise to heated debate.

This year the big debate was reserved for the Best in Show. Glitz and glamour faced off against story and simplicity. MJ Jewellers, a long time family owned custom jewelry store, by Box Design prevailed. It is an understated elegant solution which successfully responds to the client’s need to transition generations — both in ownership and clientele.

In this small, honest and simple project I discovered the answer to my question.

Like a finely cut gemstone, the value of in-terior design is multifaceted and is unique to the goals of an individual project. Of equal importance to defining the value of interior design is the recognition of the years of study, knowledge and skill set required to create that value.

Communicating the value of interior de-sign starts simply and honestly with the recognition of those who have achieved it. Along with the projects awarded an IDIBC Award of Excellence or Award of Merit for 2012 are the names of the registered profes-sionals (RID) and provisional members of IDIBC to be congratulated for their hard work and outstanding achievement.

Thank you to this year’s judges David Gib-bons ARIDO Ottawa, Sharon Martens LID Calgary, and Robert L. Pe-ters FGDC from Winnipeg.

Thank you to IDIBC’s awards and events committees for deliver-ing another outstanding awards event. And a big thank you to every one of this year’s Awards Gala sponsors.

Enjoy and celebrate!

Alyssa MyshokPresident, Interior Designers Institute of B.C.

Value of Design


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siMPle eleganCeBY CHERYL MAHBeSt in Show/retail award oF eXcellence, MJ Jewellers – Box interior Design inc.



Transforming an outdated Vancouver jewelry store into a modern and sophisticated space earned Box Interior De-sign the top honours at this year’s IDIBC Awards of Excel-lence. The design firm’s creative approach for MJ Jewellers

won them Best in Show as well as an award of excellence.Box Interiors delivered a purposely restrained and elegant interior

for MJ Jewellers — a unique family owned jewelry boutique that offers exquisite custom handmade pieces. It’s the store’s first major renovation since it opened in 1986.

“The store was in need of a renovation. It was tired and didn’t re-flect well on the type of product that was being sold,” says Box In-terior Design principal Jay Brooks, adding the renovation was also needed to signify the transition of the store to the next generation of the family and to attract younger shoppers.

The owner’s objective was to rejuvenate the 1,100 square foot store with a warm and sophisticated interior that would offer new and existing customers a more luxurious experience. An-other goal was to better showcase the jewelry and maximize in-ventory on the floor.

“With it being jewelry, our approach was purposely restrained and quiet because what you really want to do is highlight the product that is in there and the product is very small,” explains Brooks. “We wanted it be classic and play off this jewelry box idea.”

The interior features golden wood tones, bronze mirrors and vel-vet upholstered walls to create a sense of enveloping the customer in a contemporary jewel box. The end wall wood panels were also designed to evoke a faceted gemstone.

“The finishes are very simple and straightforward,” describes Brooks. “The use of the blonde oak wood is classic and a perfect foil — backdrop for the jewelry. We also did some interesting detailing in the back wall that flanks the store in that we faceted the wood paneling to give it that look like a piece of cut jewelry.”

Wall and case displays are easy to use by staff, secure and foster more intimate connections with the customer.

By custom designing the cases, furniture and millwork, Box Inte-riors was able to create a space that is uniquely the owners. Careful

attention to lighting, detailing and classic colours allows the mer-chandise to be the focus of this inviting room.

Close attention was paid especially to lighting to ensure the prod-uct is properly lit and not over lit with dramatic LED lighting which can give customers unrealistic expectations, according to Brooks.

A custom centre diamond bar provides a place to sit as well as great-er connectivity between staff and customer, while the signature light fixture over the bar is a classic idea in a contemporary expression.

“The diamond bar is the first thing you see and it has a slightly el-liptical shape to it — a curveness that is more friendly and provides a low key sales way of purchasing a diamond. We kept the seating at bar height so people can feel comfortable and sit and chat,” says Brooks.

Through reconfiguring the back of house, some valuable square footage was added to the retail area. A private consultation room was created which supports the very personal shopping experience cus-tomers are looking for when buying high end jewelry pieces.

Now the interior not only complements the beautiful jewelry but has also enhanced the customer’s total experience, which has result-ed in increased sales and higher price points.

“At the end of the day, you have to provide the tools for the retailer to sell the product. So many times you see environments where you notice the fixturing first before the product and that’s a huge mis-take,” says Brooks. “We always have a strong functionality to our de-sign and hopefully that’s why they resonate a bit more with people.”

This project was also an exciting opportunity for Box Interiors to showcase how they can apply their “creative problem solving” to re-tail interiors. Known for their specialty in hospitality work, this is the firm’s first jewelry store.

“We really look at the problem that needs to be solved in our proj-ects,” says Brooks. “It allows us to do projects like MJ Jewellers which is really elegantly detailed and pared back. And then we can do hos-pitality work which is very expressive and can have big grand ges-tures. Our approach to every project is solving the problem for the client and what is needed.”

Box Interiors’ hospitality expertise was also recognized with an award of excellence for Black & Blue in the food category.



Black and Blue has more eye catching details than just the food on the plate.

The expansive 240-seat restaurant features a number of striking features that have been carefully orchestrated

by the award winning firm Box Interior Design.Opened in late October 2011, the specialty steakhouse is the sev-

enth and largest to date for the Glowbal Group. It is also their third restaurant to be located on Alberni Street.

With its soaring ceiling, custom lighting and dramatic meat locker, the multi-million restaurant is an evocative and contemporary reinter-pretation of a classic steakhouse. Its opulent interior is a mix of warm woods, gold, velvet and leather to create a refined sophistication.

“It’s glamorous but restrained at the same time,” describes designer Jay Brooks. “You’re selling steak so it needs to be sensual and evocative.”

Without a doubt, the illuminated meat locker lined with a Hima-layan rock salt wall — a first for Vancouver — is the most distinctive and unusual feature. Located between the bar and kitchen, the 12x12 custom glass encased locker showcases all the available rare cuts of beef, aged for 28-48 days.

“Because we’ve never used the salt blocks before, we had to try and figure out how to put it together, how do we support it and how do we backlight it — it required a lot of engineering,” notes Brooks.

Another highlight is the close attention paid to lighting through-out the space. The show stopper is a custom Tom Dixon light instal-lation that floats like a cloud of gold above the bar with its stunning cluster of 86 Etch pendants.

More intimate lighting is provided through the use of wall sconc-es, table lamps and booth pendant lights. Upstairs, four massive 12 foot long custom crystal chandeliers sparkle against the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“When you have all these different levels of lighting, it becomes more glamorous, it shows people in their best light and also makes it more theatrical,” says Brooks.

Food & BeVerage award oF eXcellence Black & Blue — Box interior Design inc.

With 10,000 square feet and soaring 38 foot ceilings, the original space was intimidating. The main challenge for the project was figur-ing out how to deal with the high two volume space and to create a level of intimacy that never existed before, according to Brooks.

The solution was to add a new gallery-style mezzanine around the perimeter to create volumes at a more human scale. New additions also included a glass elevator and an interior staircase.

The restaurant has both big, lively acoustic zones and quiet, sub-dued areas. The ground floor has all hard surfaces for great bounce, while the upper dining area is carpeted with drapery for more inti-mate setting.

The bar, located in the centre, creates the high energy and buzz desired by the owner.

“Glowbal restaurants are all about see-and-be-seen,” says Brooks.

location: Vancouver, B.C.designer: H. Jay Brooks, RiD, Monica Jeffers, RiD Square footage: 10,000



worK Place total award oF eXcellenceCobalt office interiors — Perkins + Will Canada architects

location: Vancouver, B.C.designer: loren Cavallin, RiD, sara Remocker RiD Square footage: 17,000

The design by Perkins+Will Canada for Cobalt Engineering’s new Vancouver offices address three primary goals: evoke a creative image; foster dynamic staff collaboration; and showcase leadership in sustainability.

Completed in January 2011, the design successfully delivers a space that raises the engineering company’s profile as a leader in de-sign creativity and sustainability.

“This project was so rewarding for Sarah Remocker and I because it’s rare to partner with such a like-minded client as Cobalt. They embrace innovation and sustainability as much as we do. They were also a really fun group to work with,” says director of interior design Loren Cavallin.

The foundation of the design was in the planning and an overall restrained approach “to let the views do the talking rather than fan-cy finishes,” according to Cavallin. Offices were strategically placed and transparent to maximize site lines across the entire plan for spontaneous connection. Extensive use of glass and low furniture panels provided optimal exposure to the outstanding natural views throughout the space. Colour was also used strategically so as not to compete with the stunning views.

A tight budget forced the design team “to examine all design moves on a value basis — to essentially do more with less,” notes Cavallin.

Finding a comfortable balance between a welcoming environment and a private respite for staff required careful consideration. One of the ways the design team achieved a welcoming atmosphere was by locating the staff/client refresh area as part of the reception area, ef-fectively blurring the line between reception and workspace.

“The staff refresh area is the heart of this project,” says Cavallin, adding the walls in the refresh area incorporate graphic text, which was designed to reinforce the company’s established brand.

The focal point in the reception area is a custom designed plywood light fixture which draws the eyes up and relates directly to the idea of light and air — Cobalt’s core business.

Collaboration was encouraged using custom-designed mill-work tables for each team, which also provided much-needed drawing storage. The space was also an opportunity for innovative

mechanical engineering with each meeting room demonstrating different solutions, coupled with tailored ceiling designs.

The Cobalt Office Interiors is currently targeting LEED-CI Gold. Sustainable material selection included using recycled rubber floor-ing, carpet tile with a recycled backing, and a thin concrete top coat rather than quarried stone.

“We chose all green guard certified furnishings and further maxi-mized future proofing through the use of demountable walls, stan-dardized modular furniture and raised floor services for ease of flex-ibility,” notes Cavallin.

Other innovations feature the use of capillary mats and radiant beams, daylight harvesting, energy star appliances, and green light-ing on daylighting sensors.

“We are really pleased with this fresh design. For me, personally, winning the top honour in the IDIBC Work Place Total category, while being recognized for our work in healthy interiors, has rein-forced my core belief that a holistic approach to design yields the best results,” says Cavallin.



retail award oF eXcellenceesPaCe D — Mcfarlane green Biggar architecture + Design inc.

location: Vancouver, B.C.designers: Michelle Biggar, steve Mcfarlane, nicholas standeven and seng TsoiSquare footage: 1,400

espace D. is a new lifestyle boutique dedicated to contem-porary home accessories and furniture in Vancouver’s Yaletown district. Designed by Mcfarlane Green Biggar Architecture + Design, this three month project success-

fully transformed a former juice bar into a high end contemporary retail boutique. Situated at the gateway to Yaletown, the client de-sired a timeless and elegant space that would complement, but not compete with the objects on display, an area for special items and a flexible display strategy that could be easily reconfigured to accommodate small and large objects.

“Our client, Pierre Derreumaux, was a delight to work with. He is very passionate about design and entrusted us with creating a vision for the store,” says design firm principal Michelle Biggar.

The goal was to create a simple and elegant foil for a great col-lection of art and accessories handpicked from around the world by the French interior designer Derreumaux.

The design employs a purposefully restrained palette of ma-terials (white oak, corian and natural felt) to set up a quiet and consistent backdrop for the ever-changing inventory of items on display. White oak is used as a feature wall with linear shelves as well as for modular displays that can be used individually, stacked or grouped. A simple white ceiling organizes lighting and mechanical elements.

Interior partitions were removed and a new ceiling was intro-duced to create an open and flexible retail space. Custom designed furniture was also designed to be removable and adaptable to new locations.

A cylindrical alcove with a screen of several thousand CNC machined industrial felt disks suspended with filament wire from the ceiling was created to define a special place for unique items. The result is an area subtly differentiated from the rest of the collection.

“It creates a more ethereal place to display special things, while maintaining its connection to the rest of the store and allowing daylight to filter into the space,” says Biggar.

A tight project budget challenged the design team to find high quality, natural and cost effective materials to showcase the items on display. Many of the original mechanical elements and some of the original lighting fixtures were also reused.

“We worked really hard to provide a multi-layered lighting strategy within the tight budget parameters. This was partly done through the re-use of existing light fixtures and by using LED ac-cent lighting that would help reduce operating costs through the life of the project,” notes Biggar.

The existing space was a typical commercial rental unit and had an awkward geometry which made it a challenge to respond to some of the fixed elements, most notably an existing concrete column.

“There’s a monstrous concrete column near the centre of the space that became a really important element we had to incorporate. Our solution was simple — uncover the base building concrete. This let the exposed concrete’s raw texture contrast with the lighter wood and felt finishes, and of course the products on display,” says Biggar.

The striking transformation earned Biggar and her team an IDIBC Award of Excellence.

“We are really proud of the end result, but also the design and construction process as it was equally successful,” says Biggar, crediting Pierre and Ran Mansouri from DCube Construction for implementing the design within a condensed timeline.



reSidential award oF eXcellenceMounTain PenTHouse — Mitchell freedland Design

location: Whistler, B.C.designers: Mitchell freedland RiD, aaron MacKenzie-Moore RiDSquare footage: 4,000

Known for creating stunning residential interiors with a clear cohesive statement through choice of materials, simplicity of design and architectural planning, principal Mitchell Freedland does not disappoint with this well ex-

ecuted redesign of a mountain penthouse in Whistler.Reconfiguring a 4,000 square foot penthouse to accommodate

an additional bedroom, bathroom, and open living area required a daunting amount of precise planning and execution by the design team at Mitchell Freedland Design.

“The challenge was working within the restraints of an existing condominium structure,” says Freedland.

A total demolish and reconstruct was required that started in May 2010 and was completed in December 2011. The plan was judi-ciously executed within the restrictions of the envelope. Incorporat-ing a multitude of new mechanical and electrical requirements in a refined, elegant manner demanded meticulously tailored detailing.

The owner’s vision was for a contemporary and unique vacation home without the usual cliché references while still evoking the com-fort and warmth desired of a winter resort. As well, an emphasis on dramatic lighting was paramount to the owner.

“This was achieved by incorporating richly detailed architectural elements and infusing custom tailored furnishings to best suit the client,” says Freedland.

The aesthetic was developed with a minimal colour palette. Materi-als were selected for their sense of luxury, comfort, and visual strength, bringing cohesiveness to the overall design. Most furnishings were custom designed to reinforce the captivating and unified composition.

The client’s budget afforded the design team the ability to de-velop complex metal elements, including the striking bronze fire-place and the foyer’s custom iron ‘branch’ gates. The gate height-ens intrigue and heralds the journey through the suite. Beyond the entry, backlit semi-precious quartz slabs add silhouetted drama to the wine cabinets, which terminate the great room.

“The overall effect is strong but richly elegant. The custom bronze fireplace hood is a beautiful example of sculpture and engineering,” says Freedland, who particularly enjoyed “the ability to create cus-tom metal and woodwork with local artisans” on this project.

The tour-de-force of the penthouse is the custom designed oil rubbed bronze fireplace shroud. The inspiration for its form was the sedimentary layering of the indigenous mountain stone.

With an emphasis on dramatic lighting, tailored detailing, cus-tom furnishings and millwork, the result is a refined, luxurious, and ultimately comfortable vacation penthouse that has exceeded the owner’s expectations.

No stranger to prestigious design awards, the firm won an IDIBC Award of Excellence in the residential category for this unique home. The firm also garnered an Award of Merit for a Miami residence.



reSidential award oF eXcellence and SUStainaBilitY MeritWaTeRfRonT HiDeaWaY — sarah gallop Design

location: gambier island, B.C.designers: sarah gallop RiDSquare footage: 4,000

The stunning but challenging location of this modern cus-tom home influenced many of the aesthetic design details by Sarah Gallop Design.

Located on Gambier Island, the 4,000 square foot post-and-beam home has been designed as a quiet sanctuary for the own-ers to escape from a busy city life.

The architecture is influenced by the height of the surrounding trees and gives the house an appropriate scale given the vast sur-roundings. The two-storey house was sited high in the tree tops to provide privacy as well as to maximize the views.

To ensure the home did not appear obtrusive to its natural island surroundings, the colour of the exterior was specifically chosen to blend in with the trees.

“We chose a custom stain on the exterior to make the house blend into the trees. Only three trees were removed from the site which makes the house appear to have been dropped in place and looks like it has been there for years,” says designer Sarah Gallop.

Throughout the home, the architectural and interior details work together in both form and function to create a unified, harmonious space. State-of-the-art technology, modern natural interior finishes and floor-to-ceiling glass complement the stunning architectural beauty of this home with breathtaking views of the ocean bay.

A dark floor unifies the rooms and grounds the space while of-fering contrast to the crisp white walls. Although an open concept design, public and private areas are separated to afford the owners privacy. Highlights include a two storey fireplace with metallic tile to mimic the reflections of the water and an open staircase that acts as a sculptural architectural feature. A 20 foot lift slide door opens the interior gathering space to the outdoors.

While the location was beautiful, it also presented many challenges. With no ferry access to the house, every last item had to be barged over. “Some items were able to be brought directly to the client’s dock, however, many of the larger deliveries had to be delivered to the oth-

er side of the island and with limited road access — narrow dirt roads surrounded by tall trees — getting the items to the site was difficult,” recalls Gallop.

With services unreliable on the remote island, self sufficiency and sustainability for the home were key priorities.

The home features a geothermal heating and cooling system, en-ergy efficient fixtures and waste management practices.

Creating this sophisticated rural oasis for the owners earned the young design firm its first IDIBC Award of Excellence and a Sustain-ability Award of Merit.

“It feels amazing, we are very proud of this project. This was our first IDIBC Award which makes it very special,” says Gallop about the honour. “Such a great experience, it felt like such a treat to be able to escape to the island and call it ‘work’.”



This is a residential renovation that combines two separate apartments into one large urban summer home for an overseas client and family to use when visiting Vancou-ver. The modern, open residence includes a large kitchen

for entertaining, a separate master suite and large living spaces for entertaining. Transforming two traditionally styled apartments into one was done while addressing structural, mechanical and base building constraints.

The aesthetic is contemporary: seamless, light, easily maintained and airy. The space features one “wing” for three teenaged children and one with a spacious master suite off the main living area with a gallery-like corridor connecting the “wings”.

Oversized white porcelain floor tile was used throughout to reflect daylight and to lighten the space. All millwork was detailed to be seamless, floating and to blend into wall surfaces. Concealed doors along the gallery/hall and in the master bedroom suite hide storage closets and niches.

The converted condo is now filled with light, clean and elegant, and reflects the quality and care of a higher end apartment that would appeal to affluent homebuyers looking for a larger suite in a very central location in the city.

reSidential award oF MeritKings lanDing ResiDenCefalse Creek Design group ltd.

reSidential award oF MeritPRiVaTe ResiDenCePritchard Design Consultants inc.

location: Vancouver, B.C.design team: Jim Toy RiD, William Chan RiD, Jenna McBride (Provisional) Square footage: 4,000

location: Vancouver, B.C.designer: Mark Pritchard RiDSquare footage: 1,500

inspiration for this private residence was derived from the context of a south facing False Creek view of the water and city. Pulling natural light and views into the darker core area was a challenge along with relatively low ceilings varying

from 90” to 96”. Although the apartment was stripped back to demising walls, the

plumbing locations were fixed, which pre-determined much of the planning. These limitations created exciting opportunities to cre-atively problem solve through the use of elements rather than walls, panels rather than doors and zones rather than rooms. The materi-ality of these aspects became increasingly important, particularly in how the connections occur.

This project was achieved through the manipulation of light and materials to alter and distort the sense of boundaries and edges. Flexibility and duality of spaces allowed for maximum use of all areas. Boundaries of spaces are at once crisp and defined, then ambiguous and curious through simple movements of planes, clo-sures, and light.

This living environment is a creative response to the client’s very specific functional requirements of a single male transition-ing into the potential next phase of cohabitation. Restraints spe-cific to structure and plumbing locations were the limiting fac-tors, which required some innovative approaches to avoid obvious conventional solutions.

Judges Comments:“the design objectives are definitely met.

Incredible Planning. A GREAt job. the space planning changes are amazing.”

Judges Comments:“this is well done. A successful project.

It’s phenomenal Very innovative. Spectacular job.”



Bringing a cohesive transition from old-to-new was para-mount for the renovation of this Spanish colonial home. The client desired a clean elegant contemporary vocabu-lary for the renovation of the principal rooms in their

existing Spanish colonial home. The solution resulted in a tailored interior architectural vocabulary with refined reference to the past.

To bring order to the various rooms in the residence, a refined se-ries of millwork and plaster work details were developed to maintain a consistent visual order. The vast entry foyer was completely re-worked so that the elaborate balustrade and chandelier would be the only reference to the residence’s past history. The newly created en-velope instills a sense of the past glory but in a tailored contemporary manner that is cohesive with the series of principal room it adjoins.

The material palette was kept to a minimum in each space to aid in a visual coherency that supports the clean classic contemporary ambience desired. The dramatic use of lighting within each room re-inforces the creative design, heightening the ambience and infusing an effervescent glamour.

The sum of all the rooms truly engages the historical architectural shell, seamlessly giving a fresh life to the residence for the young fam-ily who inhabit it.

reSidential Partial award oF MeritPRiVaTe ResiDenCe, MiaMiMitchell freedland Design

retail award oF MeritBlanCHe MaCDonalD CaMPus & ReTailMcfarlane, green, Biggar architecture + Design (now office of Mcfarlane Biggar architects + Designers inc.)

location: Miami, floridadesigner: Mitchell freedland, RiDSquare footage: 14,000

location: Vancouver, B.C.designer: Michelle Biggar, RiD leeD CiSquare footage: 25,000

Blanche Macdonald Centre is an internationally recognized institution providing professional training and education in make-up artistry, fashion design, merchandising, hair-styling, and esthetics.

The design team provided full design services for Blanche Mac-donald’s flagship location and third campus, located in downtown Vancouver. The 25,000 square foot fit out spans two levels in the Ate-lier building on Robson Street. The new location also expanded their business to include a new make-up retail concept, Curlique, as well as their first student-operated hair salon, Q&A Salon. Curlique and Q&A are located on a split level ground floor with a new dramatic interconnecting stair that provides a direct connection to the upper level classrooms and administration offices.

A neutral inviting palette of warm greys and taupes with dark wood contrasting against crisp white elements provided a quiet and consistent backdrop for the rotating product and bold graphics. The project met a tight timeline and modest budget requirements.

The project’s success lies in the fusing together of all the pro-grammatic elements; providing connection and separation as re-quired with an overall flexibility to allow for the many educational and entertainment events and presentations that the clients envi-sion for the campus.

Judges Comments:“WoW. Pretty impressive.

Cohesive design elements throughout the whole house. Incredible job of cleaning up the whole plan.

Subtle, not in your face.”

Judges Comments:“Very competent. the neutrality is

what makes this a successful solution. A hugetransformation. Planning is modern.

Progressive. Clean, fresh.”



worKPlace total award oF Merit fulCRuM CaPiTal PaRTneRsssDg interiors inc.

worKPlace total award oF Merit Klein lYonsCeline interiors inc.

location: Vancouver, B.C.design team: Julie Campbell RiD, Kenna Manley RiDSquare footage: 3,930

location: Vancouver, B.C.design team: Celine Pitre RiD, sharon lum RiDSquare footage: 12,000

The new office for Fulcrum Capital Partners, formerly HSBC Capital Canada, is modern, sophisticated and created by SSDG Interiors with a focus on brand telling their story. The company was reinventing itself and their

office needed to tell their new story while honouring their roots. Design elements are intricately woven throughout the office that emphasize the Fulcrum brand. A combination of direct and in-direct references to the brand were incorporated throughout in-cluding a logo inspired pattern on feature wall and a tag message recessed into millwork and echoed on the floor. The wood wall at the entry is comprised of shapes from their corporate tangram-inspired logo. The embossed red triangle being the horizontal and vertical ‘fulcrum’ point of their new space.

Space was planned to allow light to penetrate throughout the office by designing offices with glass fronts and open work ar-eas at the exterior glazing. The goal was to design a space that speaks of who fulcrum is and what they are about, bringing unity to the team (comprised of two different groups of people: deal makers and accountants) and evoking an unspoken identity to their clients.

The design of the office has changed the way the company uses their space, encouraging more collaboration among staff and inviting clients in for tours.

Celine Interiors Inc. successfully created Klein Lyons’ new law office with an updated environment that would sup-port the company’s business strategies and accommo-date its projected growth.

Timeless, bright and professional sets the tone for this interior. A loyal client, the partners at this law firm wanted an office environ-ment that was approachable for frazzled clients. Top of mind was de-signing a space where lawyers and staff who worked long hours could enjoy natural light throughout the office, fresh and inviting common areas, and functional modern workstations.

Offices feature mostly glazed wall systems to maximize drawing light into the heart of the space. Keeping the ends of corridors open to the outdoor expanded the feeling of interior spaces. Public/client areas are clustered in and around the reception to simplify way-finding, limit visibility to the workings of the office and improve security. A calming, warm colour scheme was chosen.

The staff room, located adjacent to a large 3,500 square foot deck, encourages interaction. The project was delivered slightly under budget.

Judges Comments:“Really Good Work. Clean, sophisticated;

well done. Like the well placed punch of red.Sense of stability from the dark woods.”

Judges Comments:“Really well done; fresh.”



The Edmonton International Airport (EIA) project encom-passed a 14 gate expansion, including development of two major retail zones and food and beverage areas. The terminal design is based on a Thematic Master Plan which celebrates

the wealth of historical, cultural and natural stories from the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta, and provides the palette from which concept, design, material and feel of the spaces are built upon.

As an expansion project, Stantec had to respect and build upon the existing architectural elements and colour/material palette while bringing a freshness and excitement to the new building that could be gradually incorporated into the existing terminal as they continue renovations in coming years.

The EIA’s new brand “We’ll Move You” was integrated into the ter-minal design and is reflected in each area of the airport’s thematic zones. It brings cohesiveness to the airport environment and proj-ects new value statements. The design also meets LEED Silver status (although the airport declined to have it certified) with sustainable design solutions such as a living wall, rainwater collection and reuse and high efficiency light and plumbing fixtures.

The increased gate total exceeds the airport’s current requirements and provides expansion capacity to take them to their next construc-tion milestone in 2020.

PUBlic and inStitUtional SerViceS award oF MeriteDMonTon inTeRnaTional aiRPoRT, TeP PHase 2stantec architecture ltd.

PUBlic SPace/inStitUtional VHfC, floaT Plane TeRMinalMCM interiors ltd.

location: edmonton, albertadesign team: Jo ellen Kelly RiDSquare footage: 629,000

location: Vancouver, B.C.design team: edith Wormsbecker RiD, sally Han RiDSquare footage: 12,089

The Vancouver Harbour Float Plane Terminal (VHFC) re-quired a terminal that both reflected its location within the larger Vancouver Convention Centre West and on the foreshore of the Vancouver Harbour. The terminal had to

accommodate multiple carriers’ requirements, be accessible to pas-sengers and to flight staff.

The team had to work with a narrow existing space sandwiched between the commercial bus and delivery parking, fuel storage rooms and the exterior walkway, with some areas below the 100 year flood plain.

The design solution was to locate counters, storage, office areas and amenities on the interior and narrow spaces while placing passenger zones adjacent to the views. The sloped structure of the building is retained to maintain high ceilings were possible. Wood slats and concrete floors are a link to the design aesthetic of the convention centre while reflecting West Coast materials at the same time.

Natural materials and wave textures were used to create a relaxed warm environment with a contemporary feel, suitable for a water-front location. The lighting emphasizes the textures and patterns to create interest on overcast and dark days while serving as a back drop to the natural views on clear days.

Judges Comments:“Like that it’s free of graphics.

Quite well done. timeless, long term, international,professional. Phenomenal job using texture and

materials to make the space warm.”

Judges Comments:“Working with a lot of compromises.

Northern Alberta vernacular. Addresses identityeffectively. Sophisticated.”




Joey Eaton Centre is the no. 1 flagship restaurant for the owner and establishes the brand identity in a new market. The design concept for the space is modern in-dustrial. The inspiration came from the existing high ceilings and existing large concrete columns and exposed structural beams. To take advantage of the existing

ceiling height a new mezzanine was built with exposed structural metal beams to play on the industrial concept.

Other design elements that enhanced the industrial feel were the use of metal sheet panels for cladding the existing columns, new and reclaimed wood for the millwork, sal-vaged big-leaf maple slabs for the bar top and communal table, pre-cast concrete panels for the V-shaped features in the enclosed patio and bi-fold hanger doors for the storefront design. The open space plan of the entire space was also taken from the industrial concept which helped create separate areas (dining, bar, lounge) but made them all feel like one large space.

The project has successfully become the no. 1 top sales restaurant in the company. It was the first location to test out custom stainless steel bar walls with great success and now has become a standard.

Food & BeVerage award oF Merit JoeY eaTon CenTRe — Joey Restaurant group

location: Toronto, ontariodesign team: Maria a. Kim RiDSquare footage: 13,701


Judges Comments:“West Coast Meets toronto. Industrial elements

like rustic wood were effective. Ceiling is handled quite nicely. Suits the building; brings the exterior architecture and works it

into the design. Balanced. Introduction of the wedge shape changed it drastically. Washrooms great.”

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originally built in 1999, this restaurant needed an update to reflect the company’s West Coast roots and casual at-titude. The building had a strong rustic Chalet charac-ter unique to this location. On a tight budget the design

needed to embrace these architectural elements and blend them with natural materials and rustic industrial details to make the space feel warm, casual and inviting.

As the original building had few windows and a convoluted floor plan, it was important to brighten the space and improve the layout and draw light and energy into the far corners of the restaurant.

To draw guests into the space, a dynamic wine room at the entry was added, creating immediate interest with exposed industrial fit-tings and glazing. The design highlights the kitchen which features a dramatic marble wrap with exposed antique lighting. A fireplace was also added to create that desired warm, comfortable atmosphere while retractable glass walls were used to connect the interior and exterior spaces.

The dining room now relates to the architecture, framed with cus-tom metal screens and booth seating and the efficient floor plan has allowed customers to feel connected to the space at all areas.

Food & BeVerage award oF MeriteaRls ResTauRanT, ColoRaDoe+ Design & Construction

Food & BeVerage award oF Merit eaRls ResTauRanT, ToRonToe+ Design & Construction

location: Denver, Coloradodesign team: elly Chronakis RiD, Tara factor (Provisional)Square footage: 7,309

location: Toronto, ontariodesign team: elly Chronakis RiD, Jennifer Hoffbeck (Provisional) Square footage: 10,281

as the first flagship location in Toronto the design for this restaurant creates a stylish hot spot blending big city edge with warm, natural materials and rustic in-dustrial details, reflective of the company’s West Coast

roots. The space offers intimate dining areas, a lively bar, and en-courages casual mingling.

The unusual building layout inspired the concept of creating two separate spaces; an intimate dining atmosphere, and a lively exciting bar with a connection between, and areas for casual mingling. The design incorporates large design features and dramatic focal points to fill the expansive space. The patio is made to feel like an outdoor oasis, with rustic materials and natural elements to create cozy seat-ing areas and a comfortable environment suitable for lingering. The use of cedar and fir on the patio is nothing that can be seen elsewhere in Toronto’s concrete jungle.

The use of natural materials such as re-purposed pallet cladding on ceilings, and rough textural stone columns showcases the company’s West Coast roots. The design team also used a blend of hip, upscale details such as an extensive marble wall and dynamic wine room with casual West Coast warmth and exposed industrial elements to bring a unique atmosphere to the downtown core.

Judges Comments:“Photos don’t show how bright it is.

It’s a successful reno: inviting. Mature solid design work. Plan is good.

Like the outdoor bar.”

Judges Comments:“Excellent repaired use of West Coast theme.

Very competent project. Able to transform a space in a concrete jungle. A lot of warmth

and wood; cohesive, bold.”

TORONTO ❘ GAINESVILLE ❘ MELBOURNE ❘ VANCOUVER ❘ WINNIPEGwww.mediaedge.ca

• Editorial delivering the latest design trends.• Complete suppliers’ directory with cross referencing

product/services sections.• Display advertisements showcasing the latest in

products, trends, materials and services.

For Further information, please contact:Dan Gnocato 604.549.4521, ext. 223 [email protected]

Design QuarterlyResource Guide 2013

Distributed to Architects and Interior Designers in BC and Alberta

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Featuring


DQ_Fall_09.indd 25 22/10/09 10:59 PM


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it seems not a day goes by that a product manufacturer comes into our office to showcase some new building material, often touting the environmental merits of it. Such benefits may include informa-tion on durability, recycled content or recyclability, and emission properties relating to volatile organic compounds or formalde-

hyde. But what do we really know about the ingredients in building materials that we specify? With people spending 90 per cent or more of their time indoors, shouldn’t we care more about what we are ex-posed to through the use of these building materials? It’s now common knowledge that substances like Bisphenol A (BPA), Styrene, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and Phthalates are harmful to our health, so shouldn’t we be doing more to eliminate their use?

Over the last 18-24 months, material transparency and disclosure of building material ingredients have emerged as an extremely im-portant trend within the green building movement. Although this concern is not necessarily new, more and more evidence suggests that we should take greater care in considering the overall health and environmental impacts of building materials. Sources like the US Environmental Protection Agency have found concentrations of indoor pollutants at levels two to five times higher than typical outdoor levels. Dizziness, fatigue, respiratory ailments, heart disease, and cancer have all been linked to indoor air pollution.

Recently, Perkins+Will released a report entitled Healthy Environ-ments: A Compilation of Substances Linked to Asthma, which identi-fies 374 substances common in buildings that are asthma triggers or asthmagens, and revealed 75 of these substances are found in paints and adhesives — two products typically found indoors. This is just one source that has started to raise awareness and link long-term or chronic health problems like asthma to the substances found within or emitted from materials used within our buildings.

Part of the challenge in minimizing our exposure to harmful substances is that it is difficult to find a complete list of building material ingredients that allows us to determine which ones are po-tentially harmful. Some manufacturers do not disclose information due to proprietary reasons, while others simply may not know due to complex material supply chains.

A collective effort is underway by the Materials Research Collaborative to develop a Health Product Declaration (HPD) Open Standard, which is aimed at creating a consistent format for report-ing product content and associated health information for individ-

health advocacy a new role for design professionals

ual building products and materials. By creating a unified format, similar to the concept of a food label, building material ingredients will be reported in a consistent manner. It will help manufacturers standardize information that is provided to practitioners, and it will also assist practitioners to compare and contrast the performance of building materials. Currently, 48 companies and organizations have endorsed the HPD Open Standard, and 30 manufacturers, includ-ing Interface Flor, Forbo, Herman Miller, and Steelcase, have com-mitted to participating in the 2012 Health Product Declaration Pilot Project. This standard could prove to be extremely effective in having manufacturers report more accurately on material ingredients.

A parallel effort is underway by the US Green Building Council to encourage material disclosure, proposing two new credits on “Mate-rial Ingredient Reporting” and “Avoidance of Chemicals of Concern” LEED v4. If such credits are accepted within the next version of LEED, it will help create market demand for greater transparency in the building material manufacturing sector. USGBC members have an opportunity through the public comment periods to support the adoption of these credits.

While many of these efforts are in their infancy, a number of other good resources should be consulted as an interim measure while we wait for manufacturers to provide transparent material disclosure. At minimum, these resources will allow for more informed decisions regarding the materials used in future projects:

• Healthy Building Network’s Pharos Tool (www.pharosproject.net/ and http://healthybuilding.net): A database of over 800 building materials, as well as detailed life cycle information about more than 20,000 of the substances used within these materials, are profiled on this site.

• Perkins+Will’s Precautionary List (http://transparency.per-kinswill.com): Lists 25 substances with supporting evidence of the human health impacts and cross-references the building specification divisions in which these substances can be found.

• BuildingGreen Inc.’s Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects Handbook (www.buildinggreen.com): This handbook outlines harmful substances, where to find them in building materials, what should be top priorities for human health effects, and how to make decisions about avoiding toxic substances.

Beyond consulting these resources we need to engage our clients and consultant teams in this dialogue on material health. Open-ing up the conversation regarding what can be reasonably accom-plished with respect to selecting healthier materials will increase the market demand for greater material transparency. Emerging is a new role for our profession — health advocacy. Human health is inextricably linked to environmental sustainability, and is an area where we can realize tangible results.

Kathy Wardle is associate principal and director of research at Perkins+Will. She is currently writing several articles and lectur-ing widely on the topic of health materials and the need for material transparency in the marketplace.

bY KathY wardle

the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre is the first building in

Canada to register for the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building

Challenge, which calls for avoiding substances that have been determined

to be detrimental to human health and the environment.

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colour is a centerpiece in a firm’s design toolbox, and of-ten the key to success. Colour is a designer’s best friend.

In the wake of the surging popularity of neutral tones, simply using a bold colour as a way of swimming upstream and standing out misses the point. Effective use of colour needs to be deliberate, methodi-cal, and at times subtle. Our use of colour is always motivated by a clear design rationale that can be related aesthetically to built form, functionally to wayfinding or branding, or psychologically to the needs of the end user. Often, designing with colour draws on a com-bination of all of these factors.

Colour can enhance form. A colour-neutral interior may be effective for creating a light or tranquil space, but may also render that space static by suppressing the dynamic and stimulating aspects of the architectural form. By drawing attention to features — a bump-out in a wall or along a ceiling, relief along windows, the flow of space through rooms and corridors — carefully planned colours can amplify the architectural character of a space. Our office exemplifies this approach: a colour palette drawn from the firm’s corporate brand is used to put focus on architectural el-ements such as the ceiling, which articulates spatial and functional relationships through stepped and recessed elements. With colour, these features gain in effect, creating a strong impression not only of functional layout, but of the firm’s corporate identity.

In a retail environment, colour can be ef-fective in drawing customer focus. When Trail Appliances moved into a former Costco

building, our team persuaded the retailer to put colour to work in a new approach to mer-chandising. Having always relied on muted and monochromatic interior tones, the client had the courage to break with convention and followed our advice by introducing strong in-terior colours. This strategy works to draw at-tention to the merchandise, causing the black, white, and stainless steel of the appliances to really pop against the coloured background. We also applied this strategy to the building ex-terior, using colours related to the client’s logo to push roadside visibility and recognition.

For Trail Appliances, our colour strategy had far reaching outcomes, even beyond merchandising and visibility. To counter the warehouse feeling, we specified a sky-blue ceiling to evoke a fresh, outdoor feeling. The client has since linked an overall increase in productivity and quality of life to the stimu-lating effect of this bright, beautiful ceiling.

Our firm is known for a pioneering prac-tice in both architecture and interior design of supportive living centres, recognized since the early 1990s for setting the bar in creating comfortable, hospitality-like environments. Leaving behind the cold institutional feeling of seniors facilities of the past, our team gives colour a fundamental role that is at once functional and psychological. As a wayfind-ing device, colours are used to highlight dif-ferent floors and branches — for instance, in designs where administrative, kitchen, and dining facilities form a central axis with resi-dential wings branching off. Colour-coded elements help visitors and residents identify the various ‘neighborhoods’ within the build-ing, avoiding the confusion potentially cre-

ated by a monochromatic colour scheme. The brand new Walden AgeCare in southwest Calgary and Tudor Manor in Okotoks both demonstrate this approach with the use of colour panels that complement a core palette of colours, materials, and finishes including stone and dark oak throughout.

We work with clients to determine colour choices that have psychological and emo-tional impact that are related to the use of a space. For instance, a colour selection for a long-term care wing in which patients may suffer from dementia will not be the same as that used for a social room in an independent living wing. Muted and low-contrast colours better suit the former use, while brighter and more stimulating colours may serve best in a social or dining area.

A colour-centric approach has potential drawbacks. Rich colours can drive up costs through things like quantity of paint and time required for multiple coats and maintenance headaches. Colour fads also come and go — a chic choice in the moment may appear dated eight years down the road, leading to new interior costs. We emphasize the need to be practical with colour, pointing out that what ‘practical’ means will differ from one job to another. In residential applications a cost ef-fective way of staying current without fear of future renovations is to use neutral building materials — in counter tops, tile flooring, and so on — while adding colour through paint, fabrics, accessories, and art. At the other end of the spectrum, health facilities will need to update materials as part of regular mainte-nance. It can be more effective to introduce colours through building materials like car-pet, tile, stone, and wood in order to lower costs on expensive paint upgrades. For corpo-rate clients, a carefully branded environment runs no real risk of becoming a passing fad, as long as the client is consistent in their own corporate identity.

Ultimately, the success of a project is linked to the willingness of the client to trust the de-signers. Sometimes that means being brave enough to show a little colour.

Susan Kaspar is director of interior design with Calgary based Abugov-Kaspar Archi-tecture, Urban Design, Engineering, Interior Design. www.abugovkaspar.com

effective use of colourbY sUsan KasPar

the Walden AgeCare supportive living centre com-

bines paint accents with colours found in construc-

tion materials to create a warm and inviting interior.


design headlines::::::: :::::::

adVertisinG index2nd century rug co ibcalberta wood worKs 24/25ampco Grafix 4bc hydro 16/17brougham interiors 7buildex 20/21colin campbell 11east india carpets 9frances andrew/Kate holland 23inform interiors 19inform contract 13Kohler/hytec 15livingspace 5MP lighting 41odyssey wall coverings obcrobinson lighting and bath centre ifcshaw contract 29

tHE PLAYRooM PRoJECt This Playroom project by Judson Beaumont and his team at Straight Line Designs allowed them to creatively handle the furniture design, as well as the lighting, floor and wall treatments. Approximately 500 sq.ft, this recreation room was thoughtfully transformed into a functional space in just under 1 year.

KNAPP JoINS B+HBruce Knapp has joined B+H as manag-ing principal of the Vancouver office. Bruce has worked in architecture for more than 25 years and has expertise in urban design, master planning, architecture and interi-ors, and has worked on design-build and public-private partnerships. Knapp’s major projects include the Kelowna Vernon Hos-pitals P3 project, Simon Fraser University Central City Campus, and the Prince George Regional Hospital Redevelopment. B+H BuntingCoady Architects has also finalized being rebranded as B+H Architects.

HIP MERGERKasian Architecture Interior Design and Plan-ning Ltd has entered into an agreement to merge the Edmonton-based practice of HIP Architects into its existing operations. Origi-nally founded in 1938, Edmonton’s HIP Ar-chitects has evolved through seven decades of practice to create some of the most recogniz-able buildings in Alberta’s capital city.

These include the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre and the Sturgeon Community Hos-pital Expansion. Kasian also has deep roots in Edmonton, with its establishment in the city nearly 30 years ago. Under the terms of this agreement, HIP partners Stewart Inglis and Randy Krebes will become principals with Kasian. In addition, 15 members of HIP staff will transfer to Kasian’s Commerce Place headquarters in Edmonton.

NEW KoHLER SHoWRooMKohler Co. is opening a brand new Kohler ‘Next Generation” premier showroom at Emco’s En-suite Bath and Kitchen Showroom in Burnaby, B.C. This is Emco’s largest Next Generation showroom in B.C., a brand new take on prod-uct design and demonstration, incorporating global trends and an enhanced consumer ex-perience. The 5,000-square-foot space incor-porates the most iconic and current KOHLER bathroom and kitchen products.

ASLA RECoGNItIoNCornelia Hahn Oberlander has been awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects Medal, the society’s highest award in recogni-tion of her career as a pioneer in sustainable landscape architecture. She is known for her collaborations with architects Arthur Erickson (Robson Square, the Museum of Anthropol-ogy at the University of British Columbia) and Moshe Safdie (Vancouver Public Library, Na-tional Gallery of Canada). ASLA also noted that Oberlander, who opened her Vancouver firm in 1953, was one of the first women in the post-World War II era to establish her own practice.

CLEAN ENERGYUBC has officially opened a pioneering $34-million clean energy facility, making it Canada’s first university — and one of a few institutions worldwide — to produce both clean heat and electricity for its campus from renewable bioenergy.

The Bioenergy Research and Dem-onstration Facility will generate enough clean electricity to power 1,500 homes and will supply up to 12 percent of UBC’s heat requirements. It will reduce UBC’s natural gas consumption by 12 per cent and campus greenhouse gas emissions by 9 per cent (5,000 tonnes), the equivalent of taking 1,000 cars off the road.

The facility, which runs on tree trim-mings and wood chips diverted from lo-cal landfills, is a partnership with Nex-terra Systems Corporation and GE. It is the first commercial demonstration of a new application that combines Nexterra’s gasification and syngas cleaning tech-nologies with GE’s Jenbacher engines. Designed by McFarland Marceau Archi-tects, the four-storey, 1,900-square-metre facility is also the first North American commercial application of cross-laminat-ed-timber (CLT), a solid wood building system adapted for B.C. lumber and man-ufactured in B.C. facilities.

FoREIGN ARCHItECtSThe eleven provincial and territorial Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA), has announced the launch of a program called the new Broadly Experienced Foreign Archi-tects Program (BEFA). This program offers experienced foreign-trained architects an al-ternative path to registration and licensure in Canada. The architectural profession recog-nized, several years ago, that it did not have an effective national program in place to assess the qualifications of internationally trained and licensed architects.

The Canadian Architecture Certification Board (CACB) has agreed to administer the BEFA program for CALA, More infor-mation on the BEFA program and the eli-gibility requirements can be found at www.cacb-ccca.ca/befa

DIALoG ACQUISItIoNNational design firm DIALOG has acquired Alberta landscape architecture firm Carlyle + Associates. DIALOG and Carlyle + As-sociates have collaborated for over a decade on award-winning projects including St. Jo-seph’s Seminary, the Edmonton Clinic, Wal-terdale Bridge, Louise McKinney Riverfront Park, and the Edmonton Downtown Plan.

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