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Polycarbonate's Architectural Sides
Indoors …
Of Montreal’s major downtown
department stores,
Eatons was the biggest.
But in the late 90’s it was a tough
time for old-style department
stores everywhere and Eatons was
forced to close. It was bought by
the development company Ivanhoe
Cambridge in 1999, and has
been developed.
It is now a multi tenant building,
anchored by Montreal’s most
energetic retailer, Les Ailes de la
Mode (literally: “The Wings of
Fashion”). Inside it feels light years away from
anything resembling the former store. “We
carved out the inside of the building” says architect
Louis Lemay of the project. “We needed
a grand entrance,
so we
created a
three- story
corridor from
Ste. Catharine
Street. Then
we made a
central atrium
through the
whole height
of the structure to form a real heart for the
project.”
Entering the space really is a
grand architectural experience.
You walk around the 30 foot
high show window of the Les
Ailes de la Mode into a vast,
glittering hall. It’s support
columns are a line with fluorescent
tubes sheathed in Lexan®
polycarbonate lighting panels so
that the glass and stainless steel
balconies seem to float on
shafts of light. The panels, produced
by Plastifab Industries,
Saint Laurent, Canada, are fully
operable allowing for maintenance and are protective of the
lighting system due to polycarbonate's toughness. The custom
lighting color allows for diffused and soft lighting
effects.
And Out
Umbra, the vanguard Canadian home goods designer
opened a retail store after 27 years of selling its distinctive-
looking wares through other outlets.
Part architectural statement, part showroom-cum-test lab
for new design ideas, the Toronto flagship aims to do for
Umbra what retail stores did for top consumer brands such
as Nike and Apple after they opened up highly individualized
stores aimed at extending their
business and their brands.
While Umbra has blossomed into
an industry leader with distribution
in 75 countries and annual
sales exceeding $150 Million, only
a fraction of its vast product selection
is on display at most retailers.
That changes with the opening
of the first store in Toronto, an
eye popping architectural marvel
sheathed on all sides by 30-foot
high columns of bright pink plastic.
The bright pink plastic was manufactured
from Lexan polycarbonate
resin and processed into the
semi-finished shape by Plastifab and then fabricated and
installed by AL Plastics, Toronto. Polycarbonate is renowned
for its toughness, color-fastness and unique colorability.
Backlit for night exposure, the 30-foot panels provide a
strong visual identity for Umbra’s first retail store.
Founders Les Mandelbaum and Paul Rowan are planning
to open more flagships in key cities and polycarbonate’s
unique footprint will be part of the growing expansion.
For more information, contact Plastifab Industries,
7777 Route Transcanadienne, Montreal, PQ, Canada H4S
1L3, 800-361-4774/514-325-9840, Fax: 514-325-5222,
E-mail: infoprod@plastifab.ca, Web: www.plastifab.ca.
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