The New Plan

Logic can be beautiful... especially when it collides with the existing. I inherited the polygonal 'core' in the center of this floor plate - not something I would have ever planned, but it is forcing some of the more interesting aspects of the layout!

Office overhaul

This is project I'm currently working on. It's an 8200 sq.ft. government office with 75 staff members within its walls. Programming meetings were held with the two user groups for this floor. After a thorough discovery process I developed typical workstations for different positions. I presented the layout and massing of the new systems furniture to the project liaison and user groups with loose sketches made with the help of sketch-up wire frames.

God Bless the Client

Karo has had some pretty great clients -- design savvy, adventurous, and usually pretty fun. This long-time client needed to convert their built offices into open workstations to accommodate more staff. They valued the original design integrity and came back to Karo to make the updates. I designed a meeting space and file management center that became structures within the open office space and carried forward the language of the original design.
You'd never guess by their sexy interiors that these guys did high precision machining -- you have to love that!

Concept in Form

My role on this amazing project was, in part, to select the colour palette which included the laminated glass. In this instance a second floor meeting room becomes a glowing glass beacon to the public lobby below. Wrapped in metal 'chopsticks' and projected into open air space the LED fixtures illuminate this glass form on a scale unmatched anywhere else in the project. This is the design introduction at Shaw Tower - the Lantern.

Maybe it's the carpenter in me, but I love millwork!

Millwork can be such a diverse element in interior design. I love creating something so functional that can be so dramatically different looking to reflect its surroundings. The flavour of Shaw's breakout millwork came from a pallete of white laminate fronts, slim line stainless steel or white solid surface tops and coloured resin slider panel uppers. In special locations wood in big block form gave contrast to the cool white cabinets.

Detail Is A Verb

As the program and the concept took form a unique vernacular also began to take shape. We as designers were educating ourselves about the mix of materials we had on our pallete and challenging the trades with details and materials being used in new ways. The process was most gratifying and the result very rewarding. Shown is a row of edit booths veiled behind a cascade of glass, as we called it. The vocabulary of coloured glass and "chopstick" mullions repeats itself at other digital activity spaces.

Colour and Materials

A neutral backdrop throughout the eight floors of Shaw's space allowed colour to be precious. Coloured glazing, rich fabrics and custom wool carpets create a lushness.