Installation Art and Wayfinding at Discovery Parks Vancouver

Transformit

Undulating, luminous tension fabric sculptures, installed in the Vancouver, B.C., headquarters of Discovery Parks, lead visitors through the entry atrium into the shared public space of the cafe. A third piece in the boardroom also leads to the cafe.

Discovery Parks has for-profit and not-for-profit arms that work together under a mandate to encourage the growth of the high-tech and life sciences economies in British Columbia. It builds and operates multi-tenant facilities on and off campuses to foster the commercialization of start-up and university spin-off companies. In addition, part of the mission of Discovery Parks is to support and exemplify sustainable building practices. Our company and MCM Interiors collaborated during a recent renovation to develop these iconic pieces for the public areas of the building. They are intended to suport the sustainability mission by showing a good example in a visually interesting way. The fabric installation defines the common areas of the shared, multi-tenant building.

The initial concept model from MCM required substantial revision to meet the space and budget limitations of the project. Under a separate design contract, our designer modeled revised structures that fit the budget and met with the owner’s approval. After approval of the design and a visit to the site, we set about meeting the engineering requirements for the installation, which included special seismic requirements of the city of Vancouver. The fabric pieces were intended to visually flow and move with the wall-mounted sculptural wood relief panels and graphic elements. The challenge during installation was to install the fabric pieces without damaging the others. With the care and attention of our designers, builders and installers we were able to satisfy all the budgetary, seismic, engineering, safety and aesthetic requirements of the project. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind project, a perfect example of site-specific design.

In the words of Stephanie Atkin, tenant services manager, “While our lobby, cafe and main board room all underwent extensive renovations, no single element is pointed out as frequently as the overhead fabric feature. It draws first-time visitors into the successive public spaces in a way no amount of signage could achieve. It has an organic, flowing and elegant feel about it that comes as a surprise to those expecting a typical hard-edged office lobby, but aptly reflects the creative undercurrent in the high-tech companies that occupy the building.”

Project details

Location: Vancouver, B.C.
Size: 30 feet by 90 feet
Fabrics: Symmetry by Fisher Textiles
Design: Mackenzie Case, Transformit
Architect: Jay Arvind, MCM Interiors