Working in the retail design and construction industry, I find IIDEX to be a phenomenal platform to meet new suppliers and discover emerging trends in the business. At this year's IIDEX, there was a noticeable focus on bright colours and innovative materials. Astley Gilbert, the printing company, produced my favourite booth of the show by creating a unique "instagrammable" space that showcased their colourful large-scale printing. Think Lightweight, a manufacturer in the industry, piqued my interest with their inventive materials. The company produces engineered lightweight wood panels that can be used in place of solid heavy woods, thus reducing cost and allowing for limitless applications. By creating a hollow, honeycomb core, their material's strength to weight ratio can exceed that of solid materials, resulting in a strong, cost-effective, and consistent solution to many design and construction problems. You can take a look at previous year's trends by checking out my recaps of IIDEX 2016 and IIDEX 2015.
Humber College Lakeshore Campus
A few weekends ago I stumbled upon Humber College’s Lakeshore Campus in Mimico. Originally home to the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, Humber College purchased the land in 1991 and began the intense restoration process of converting the defunct hospital into an animated college campus. Many of the hospital’s original buildings still remain to this day, characterized by their warm red brick facades and yellow trimmed windows. The campus was eerily empty on this beautiful Sunday morning, further lending to the unexpected past of these historic buildings.
