A Wellness-Focused Development Invites to Experience Retail on a Whole New Level

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an immersive and experiential retail design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, II BY IV DESIGN.

In today’s contemporary culture, the retail experience has migrated from visual to experiential. Successful products are presented in immersive environments with new possibilities. Following this method, for the Central Park development in Toronto, a Presentation Pavilion was constructed on the site. It is designed as a time capsule—a striking triangular-shaped building that transports the prospective residents to their forthcoming life. Through a curated journey, the prospective residents get to imagine how their experience would be in this nature-inspired, wellness-focused development.

Set to turn into a vibrant cultural hub for the community, this pavilion’s permanency confirms the development’s environmentally-conscious vision: refining the contemporary lifestyle. Inside, outfitted in natural materials and cutting-edge green prototypes, an orchestrated retail journey weaves thoughtful moments of theatre, interactive installations, and a series of vignettes. The visitors are invited to touch, play, feel, and visualize their promising life in the anticipated complex. They learn the significance of connecting with nature, find unit layouts, see the amenities, get excited about the perks, and customize their dream home. This cohesive design strategy visually soothes the senses, offering a pleasant experience and representing the ethos of the development.

What was the client’s brief? 

Central Park development in Toronto—its first 31-storey residential tower—offers a nature-inspired lifestyle. It is highly sustainable, wellness-focused, and connected to the urban bustle yet nestled in the ravine system. As the interior designers of this soon-to-be-constructed high-rise, we were tasked with designing the interiors of the development’s sales center, which had to stand for the ethos of its future-forward vision. We wanted it to be suggestive of the lifestyle at Central Park—connected to nature, environmentally conscious, timelessly elegant, and outfitted in natural materials. We also aimed to design an unparalleled experience with interactive installations and to-scale vignettes for an immersive retail journey.

What inspired the design of the project?

The main inspiration for the development, and the pavilion, in particular, is our connection to nature and how this connection would affect our wellness in life. Through the design strategy, we intended to create more than just a sales canter, delivering a joyful, immersive atmosphere that the patrons would want to spend time in, stay for a while, and engage with its various features. The permanency of the pavilion also excited our team, designing a place that won’t get demolished but instead become a cultural destination for the Toronto community.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Despite the pandemic, due to the team’s high levels of planning and coordination, we didn’t run into any hurdles throughout the process. The project was delivered on time/budget, with 85% of the suites sold within the first ten days of the opening of the pavilion.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our team set out to design a new type of sales center for the Central Park development. We conducted extensive research about the new methods of immersive retail design. For all of us, at II BY IV DESIGN, witnessing the execution of the project during the Covid-19 Pandemic was a highlight. And, it is always gratifying to see the influence of our work as most of the residential suites were sold in such a short time.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

SBID Awards bring together the design community every year, showcasing design excellence across various interior sectors. SBID promotes best practices for the interior design profession while setting the tone for the industry through its award program annually. At our studio, we look forward to learning about other projects worldwide, reading their story, seeing the curated visuals, and voting on those that respond with creativity and technical execution. It’s a celebration of design—the kind of design that is shaping the future. We are thrilled and honoured to have four of our projects amongst the finalists. It’s a great company of peers to be in every year.

Questions answered by Dan Menchions, Partner, II BY IV DESIGN.