The Krembil Discovery Tower is a new world-class research centre at Toronto Western Hospital. This 9-storey state-of-the-art building features five floors of dedicated research space with over 150 specialists. The new Education Centre on the main floor was designed by architects Tillman ruth robinson. Eventscape was contracted to engineer, fabricate and install 3 feature Corian columns that frame the entrances to the centre’s conference and seminar rooms. The organically shaped, seamless Corian surrounds wrap the structural concrete columns. Mirror polished stainless steel sheets were machine rolled to sit flush to the inside of the Corian, and are visible through the organic perforations in the Corian face.
Unique Characteristics & Project Challenges: Corian was used for its ability to achieve an extremely durable, formable, seamless white surface while it’s anti-microbial properties make it an ideal material to use in a medical facility. As the Corian material is only 30” wide, lightweight but rigid waffle shell plywood molds were designed to both form and support the individual panels. These also provided tooling guides for preparing the edges for seamless bonding. Each Corian panel incorporated several organically shaped cut-outs in the lower portions of the column. These were cut utilizing our 5 axis CNC milling machine. To achieve the organic shape, the Corian panels were then heated in our custom over-sized oven, placed on the plywood molds and vacuum-formed to create the curved surface required.
The 20 ft perimeter dimensions of the columns were comprised of a total of 23 mold panel sections. The final number of individual panels shipped to site was reduced to 3 for each column by shop finishing and seamlessly bonding selective panel joints based on a 3D analysis of clearance and maneuverability for delivery and installation. Once on site, the individual panels were placed, secured, joined and polished by our installation team to create a final seamless surface. Polished stainless steel was used to finish the recessed plinth and the soffit reveal. The center column incorporated reveals on each side to create a pocket for the adjacent metal mesh curtains. These provided a separation and a degree of privacy between the corridor passageway and the event meeting room entrances.
A unique combination of digital tools, material knowledge, fabrication expertise, and artistic skill needed to come together in order to achieve the seamless feature columns. The interiors create a sinuous flow that engages visitors entering the space.
