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Last week, the city's newest hotel began welcoming guests as the Delta Toronto officially opened for service. Developed by bcIMC and GWL Realty, the building, now the tallest hotel-only tower in Toronto, is located in the emerging Southcore district at the corner of Lower Simcoe and Bremner. The 46-storey Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed tower has been turning heads for its curtain wall glass cladding and dynamic geometry, a trait which has been reflected inside the building through specific design features like a canted lobby ceiling. While the exterior continues to impress, the interior spaces of the hotel have been graced with a variety of art installations. Public art week continues at UrbanToronto as we take a look inside the four-star hotel.
Before you even step foot inside the 567-room hotel, an 18-metre wide, 13-metre tall glass installation scales the west wall of the adajacent Bremner office tower opposite the Delta lobby. The piece, by renowned Canadian artist Douglas Coupland, is an homage to the famous painting entitled 'North Shore, Lake Superior, 1926' by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris. Aptly named 'Superior', the piece has been attracting attention due to its highly visible location and striking composition. One of a set of major pieces overseen by Public Art Management Ltd. destined to animate the Southcore Financial Centre, we will be able to talk about more from this set when the Delta's PATH bridge to the convention centre opens early in 2015.
Venturing inside the Delta's lobby, artwork by Aleksandra Rdest comes into view. The nearby attractions in the Southcore district, including the CN Tower and Air Canada Centre, are depicted in this piece which can be viewed from both the lobby and inside the SOCO Kitchen + Bar. The cultural diversity that Toronto is known for is represented through the use of vivid colours that helps the mural differentiate itself from the warm glow of the surrounding wood.
Approaching the ground level elevator lobby, an item important to many Canadians has been transformed into a piece of art by Rob Southcott. An installation of hockey sticks which have been cut and arranged at a 45 degree angle represent the spirit of the millions of Canadian hockey fans and the bond shared between them.
A similar installation evoking Canada's national pastime can be found two floors up. The piece, by Rob Baytor, aims to capture the wild and magical energy of the hockey puck as it is tossed around the rink, a common occurrence at the nearby Air Canada Centre.
Also on the third floor, a large mural by Glenn Michael represents Canadian heritage through a series of images superimposed on the symbol of Canada: the maple leaf. The piece adds some colour to the lounging space while showcasing classic Canadian icons to the international guests that are now being welcomed to the hotel.
Spanning multiple floors, a large mural by Adrian Forrow occupies the north wall of the second floor lounging space. Representing the varied landscapes that Canada has to offer, the scene changes as it makes its way downwards. The intention of the piece is to visually depict the geographic transition of the country from the west to the east, which becomes apparent as rough seas turn into rocky and then flat landscapes.
As the mural descends down to the ground floor, Ontario becomes the focus with Niagara Falls dominating the piece.
Once the piece continues down the ground floor stairwell, the landscape changes back to the ocean to represent the Atlantic provinces. The full, three-storey mural is depicted in the image below.
The artwork inside the Delta was handled by Tatar Art Projects.
For more information about the Delta and the Southcore Financial Centre, visit the dataBase file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
| Related Companies: | EllisDon, Kramer Design Associates Limited, Trillium Architectural Products |
