Inverted Lake - Impactful Public Art
With the right partners at the table, technical constraints can often be opportunities for creativity. The pioneering Daniels Waterfront in Toronto includes two anchor residential towers connected by The Yard, a pedestrian area with local businesses and cafes. This development is known as the City of Arts - a gathering place for artists of all kinds.
Due to the towers’ placement, there was an uncomfortable wind tunnel right in The Yard between the buildings. While a simple glass canopy would fulfill the functional need, our client knew they wanted something more.
“With their expertise and creativity, combined with the artist’s extensive experience, Heavy went above and beyond in their approach to developing and executing the piece.
Heavy finished the project on budget and on schedule, and their ability to turnkey the piece from conceptual development through to the final installation was highly valuable.”
Tens of thousands of clear polycarbonate panels later, we created a truly spectacular creative feature that echos the sparkle of a lake that was once there. The pillars are stainless steel trees embedded with lights to create their own dazzling effect in the evenings.
Working closely with the artist, Ned Kahn, we conducted several rounds of testing and prototyping various iterations of the flappers and hardware - ensuring the flappers are moving in the way Ned envisioned with the wind. We went the extra mile by designing a system that makes it easy to swap out individual flappers in case they are damaged over time without having to remove the entire row.
The biggest challenge with this project was integrating with two different buildings that were adhering to different schedules, along with a parallel landscaping plan. Heavy’s dedicated project manager and installation team coordinated seamlessly with the on-site teams to ensure everything was a perfect fit and was completed on time and on budget.
“The panels sway in the wind but return to a horizontal position, mimicking the waves and reflectivity of Lake Ontario which covered the site until humans extended the shoreline. Small beams of sunlight bouncing off of the moving panels permeate the plaza with an aqueous light, a memory of the lake that was once there.”
Results + Impact:
Daniels’ vision for this groundbreaking new community is one of the first private-sector developments within the city’s East Bayfront, and the first to be built on privately-owned land. Daniels Waterfront is a fully connected destination that enhances Toronto’s position as an internationally-recognized city of arts, culture, and innovation.
With the district now being home to numerous arts and education facilities, it has positioned itself as a powerful attraction for creatives of all kinds!