Garden City Shopping Centre

he design direction played upon the ‘garden’ theme, making the Coral and Floral pendants from designer David Trubridge a perfect choice for the project.

  • Location
  • Manitoba, Canada
  • Client
  • Garden City Shopping Center
  • Architect
  • Ruscio Studio
  • Photography
  • Simeon Rusnak

Garden City Shopping Centre is a 285,000 square-foot shopping center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The mall consists of 75 stores and 11 restaurants on a single level. The local landmark has been a hub for the community since being built in 1970 and even though much has changed since then, the mall is still growing. “The shiny new renovations, which began in November 2016, have already started to make a big impact,” says Olga Kort, marketing coordinator with mall management company RioCan. The redesign was focused on transforming the mall into a fresh, modern and airy space that both provided customers and tenants with an elevated shopping experience and better served the needs of the local community.

The design direction played upon the ‘garden’ theme, making the Coral and Floral pendants from designer David Trubridge a perfect choice for the project. The mall features a number of large 20’ x 20’ x 40’ coffered ceiling atriums throughout the space and lighting these areas is a feature element of the new design. Not only are the fixtures floral-like organic forms but come in different colors and sizes large enough not to get lost in a building of this scale. The fixtures play an iconic role as the light clusters are found throughout the mall. Each cluster is made up of pendants of different sizes and finishes, with each area being a unique composition. While the majority are repeated in every second ceiling coffer, the clusters can also be found in the food court. The ‘pièce de résistance’ is located in the center court where the largest composition is suspended. Additionally, during the day the fixtures draw attention as they are bathed in natural light under three skylights. In the evening once illuminated, they generate shadows on the ceilings!

“Our approach was to develop a sleek, contemporary design that also played upon the name ‘Garden’ (without being hokey). This concept was successfully executed by introducing the clusters of hanging lighting fixtures, a variety of floral fabric patterns, Canadian oak wood and distinctive colorful seating areas.” Robert Ruscio, President, RUSCIO STUDIO

“Modern shoppers are looking for a mix of high-end interior design and the cutting-edge technology to make their retail experience unique. The mall’s new look and fun events are already paying off and mall traffic has increased by an impressive 20 per cent.” Olga Kort, Marketing Coordinator, Mall Management, RioCan.

“A designer always gets an immense sense of pride in seeing their works in real environments and spaces. This installation at the Garden City Mall is a stand-out due to the effect created by the subtle nuances the designers have crafted; the similar patterning of the wallpaper, the offset staggered groupings of lights and the clean crisp colouring. The effect is ethereal and awe-inspiring, lifting one’s mind up through the natural wooden vaults to the sky, giving them a moment’s reprieve from the bustling mall below. What a delicate touch they have provided to set off the surrounding offerings from other high-end designers.” David Trubridge, Design Director, David Trubridge Design

About the Assembly

Upon the arrival of the kitsets, the team organized the 79 pendants into the sections they were being installed. We coordinated with the installation team at Garden City Shopping to create a schedule for the assembly. Assembly took place at HUT K and the assembled pendants were carefully transported on the designated installation day to the shopping centre. The pendants were immediately installed to minimize the risk for any damages. We were unable to store any pendants at the Shopping Center since it was open to the public during the day and renovations took place at night. A team of 4 from HUT K completed the assembly of all 79 pendants and required 24 trips to the site to deliver the assembled pendants. The assembly and delivery was very successful. Claire Li, Business and Marketing Manager, HUT K

Reducing our footprint and costs

The David Trubridge lights for the space were shipped in kitsets from New Zealand to a location a few miles away from the shopping center. The assembly of the fixtures was executed by HUT K and then the assembled fixtures were transported to the installation location. The fixtures are designed based on the SEED system whereby the fixture is comprised of components that ship in compact form and assemble together to create the final structure. The freight for the order was dramatically reduced by shipping kitsets rather than fully assembled fixtures. For example, the volume ratio of the kitset version of the CORAL 1000 fixture to the fully assembled fixture is 95:1. versus

Additionally, there is huge waste with shipping fully assembled fixtures as each fixture required large and robust wooden crates that have little/no use once the fixture is delivered. Most kitset fixtures ship in cardboard packaging that can be recycled. Well packaged kitset fixtures are virtually impervious to damage whereas even well crated fixtures can be subject to damage as a result of the rigors of the freight process. Overall, shipping kitsets is both economically and environmentally beneficial versus shipping assembled fixtures. Note that, to ensure success with local assembly of fixtures as with this installation, the following conditions need to be met: • Installers/Assemblers watch the assembly video and review the assembly instructions to confirm they are comfortable assembling the fixture • Labor cost of 45-75 mins per fixture is included in budget • At least two resources are available to work together as some fixtures are very large and require at least two pairs of hands (and sometime three) to complete the assembly • Clean, dry and spacious work space at or near the installation site • Fixtures are hung/installed immediately upon completion of assembly OR suitably packaged/protected and stored

Garden City Shopping Center Winnepeg, Manitoba

“I feel that the shopping center now has a fresh spring-like feeling. I love the pale pallet of colors selected by the Ruscio design team. And the Trubridge fixtures lend an airiness that rejuvenates what was once a tired and dingy looking space” Freddie Naimer, President, Montreal Lighting “The final reaction was very different than the initial one: ‘Are you sure you want these fixtures throughout the mall? They don’t seem very conventional for a mall setting.’ We explained that that is precisely the reason we want to have them front and center in the concept!”

The feedback has been resoundingly positive. “Everyone walks in and cannot believe the transformation of the space. The entire mall feels much brighter…” Rebecca Hyatt, Property Manager

“The fixtures are fantastic in the newly renovated Shopping Center. The Shopping Center had not been updated for some time and the lighting became the most impactful element in the renovation. The clusters of the David Trubridge Coral and Floral pendants in the space is absolutely awe-inspiring and spectacular.”

Ocean LAND David Truebridge Modern Home Design 0001 David Trubridge House with Navicula 1500 Feature Bamboo Sustainable

Products used

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