23 Oct 2024

ARIDO Award: 1001 Robert Bourassa

At its heart, 1001 Robert-Bourassa is designed to bring people together. Formerly a conventional and nondescript lobby, Gensler’s design expands and transforms the space into an immersive destination, capable of functioning as an event venue for up to 300 people, and of fostering community, wellness, and collaboration.

Category: GATHER + PLAY

Interior Designer: Annie Bergeron, ARIDO
Design Firm: Gensler

Photographer: Adrien Williams

wooden tiered seating is inspired by the topography of Mount Royal and above is the bubble-clustered chandeliers and large LED screen at the other end of the tiered seating structure

To encourage human interaction and reflect the spirit of the city, tiered seating—inspired by the topography of Mount Royal—beckons visitors to scale the “mountain” for a moment of reprieve, to meet a friend or work colleague, and to experience the space from an elevated vantage point.

A view from the elevator lobby where the walls are covered in wood slats with black details like beams and hanging linear light fixtures

To transport visitors to “not just another lobby”, Gensler collaborated with Moment Factory to layer into the design a series of multimedia features—including a large LED digital wall, spatialized soundscapes, and bubble-clustered chandeliers—that inspire feelings of wellness and wonder.

a large LED digital wall on a wall at one end of the tiered seating element