Blurs the boundary between the financial area and art in the PATH
At the initiation of the project, we were asked to do four diagrams to analyze the chosen place of quality.
From the left;
FEATURE: The subtracted rectangle expresses the presence of the fountain.
MATERIALS: The homogeneous reflection of materials disappears from their materiality and leads us to see the between them.
SOCIAL RELATIONS: The building grid creates the momentum of pedestrians in the still place.
LIGHT: The reflectivity of light expands horizontally and downward.
Project Description
Harbourfront Centre x First Canadian Place
ADDRESS: 100 King Street West, Toronto, ON.
PROJECT SIZE: 3,219 sq m
A designer is invited to develop to design for mixed-use, art/community spaces at the most unique underground space PATH in Toronto. The chosen site is the little pocket of PATH at First Canadian Centre and Harbourfront Centre is selected as a client. The client is Canada’s leading destination for contemporary culture, consisting of five studios such as pottery, glass-blowing, textile, metal and performance arts studios. The design offers a unique art piazza to the Harbourfront Centre. The piazza allows a diverse population to stroll and relax in the space while experiencing art, blurring the boundary between the financial area and art.
The art piazza approaches the site with the following three steps. First, the design breaks the existing site grid by splitting Harbourfront Centre into five studios. Secondly, the 3,219 square meters have a generous sloped floor towards the focal fountain for people to rest on. Lastly, adjusted lighting invites people to feel calm on the site. Furthermore, each studio has glass walls and reveals messy studio life in contrast to the outside, which enhances the theme of “blur to the site”. Visitors to the art piazza can sneak a peek at the studios. However, the sunken floor creates a comfortable distance for both the visitors and the artists, as well as adds gallery spaces along the wall, and storage spaces under the floor.