1 YORK STREET

One York Street, an 800,000 sq.ft Class AAA building in Toronto’s south core required a design concept to illuminate and enhance the building’s architectural features from the ground up. Features such as a 52–foot, all glass atrium, and targeting LEED Platinum, led to an LED design solution that could be adapted to accommodate technology advances over the long design and construction phase.

As the atrium receives generous amounts of daylight, the team set out to create an illuminated atmosphere that would maintain its airy feeling throughout the evening. Six different luminaire types were chosen to achieve the overall lighting effect and were seamlessly integrated within architectural features such as columns, coves, and floors to enhance the design of one of Toronto’s tallest lobbies.

An important design consideration was ensuring the project could accommodate technology upgrades and maintenance requirements. Creating an integrated space within the elevators, the team backlit 11m high glass walls using LEDs, which act as a primary source of light. A custom baseboard was created that enables quick and easy maintenance of elevator fixtures – forgoing the need to remove any glass panels.

Highly trafficked by business and residential visitors, the lobby was illuminated to evoke a calm and pleasant environment. Responsive and eco-friendly, the lighting system uses daylight harvesting sensors to manage lighting responsibly, activating when levels are low. Elevator walls feature adjustable linear fixtures with 10×50 degree optic distribution; delivering 720 lumens/foot. Columns have integrated floodlights with asymmetrical optics to evenly illuminate ceilings. Main lobby columns feature three asymmetric flood-lights (50 watts each) delivering 2,654 lumens/fixture. Decorative wall details include linear LED tape within an aluminum extrusion, complete with frosted lenses (3 watts/foot).