TORONTO – Renovations to the lobby of Toronto’s Berczy Square have been unveiled.
Carried out by GWL Reality Advisors (GWLRA), the renos are anchored by a 90-foot LED screen displaying “atmospheric digital art,” which also encourages visitors and workers to look up the at the 13-storey building’s atrium architecture.
The uniquely shaped six-foot-wide screen runs the full spine of the building and features original digital art by Montreal-based creative multimedia studio Gentilhomme, which has created large-format immersive art for the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Cirque du Soleil.
The new lobby is a part of GWLRA’s two-year renovation and rebranding to transform the property at 33 Yonge into a social hub and destination, a release reads.
Berczy Square also includes a new private fitness facility, showers and lockers for commuters who bike and walk, five outdoor patios, two coffee shops and grab-and-go retail.
The renovation was led by Alison McNeil of architecture firm DIALOG and includes tree-like columns at the Yonge Street entrance, a reflecting pool, a vapour-based fire pit, hanging moss pendants and new seating. There is also a trellis that wraps the elevator bay, anchors the screen and preserves the original Travertine wall, the release explains.
All materials used in the renovation are 100 per cent Canadian.
Originally built in 1982 and designed by WZMH Architects, 33 Yonge spans a two-acre stretch between Wellington and Front streets.
GWLRA undertook the renovations and rebranding on behalf of the Great-West Life Canadian Real Estate Investment Fund No.1 and the London Life Real Estate Fund.
