Merging sleek architecture and vibrant art is 81 Bay Street at CIBC SQUARE. Consisting of not one, but twelve massive custom illuminated art walls (six main lobbies at 37’ in height, and 6 sky lobbies at half size), GPI’s expertise in fine engineering and precise coordination of surface and lighting was necessary to bring Artist Steve Driscoll’s expressive and colourful works to life in backlit glass art panels. The mock up at GPI proved essential in determining several key things, including the optimal glass “recipe “to compliment the artwork, and the proper lighting colour temperature to accurately enhance – without shifting – the hue of the original works. With intense colour variations and amorphous forms spanning multiple stories, these art walls make for an intense experience in colour, light, and scale.
With such profound philosophy behind the artistic concept, it was critical for GPI (with the help of Steve Driscoll, Wilkinson Eyre, Adamson Associates, Hines and Ellis Don) to preserve and highlight this importance through the engineering, design, and illumination of the feature.
Testing here was key. Various media, surface specs, layering techniques, and fixture combinations were mocked up and vetted to arrive at the ideal combination. Ultimately, it was determined that we would use GPI’s Infuse™ Complete LED Backlighting System to backlight these art pieces to check all the technical boxes, while best portraying the artist’s aesthetic vision. The main goal for GPI and everyone involved, was to create a sense of delight to oncoming pedestrians throughout their day. It was a beautiful was to bring “nature” indoors with these bright colours illustrating trees, water, and other wildlife.
