Central Bar
Location / Vancouver
Project Type / Installation
Size / 600sf
Completed / 2019
The Central Bar installation at IDS Vancouver is an example of material exploration by the studio - one of a series of material-driven and innovative architectural environments that was created using a design-build process.
Central Bar is part of an ongoing trajectory of material research that informs the work of the studio. Leckie Studio chose to work with a single generic material – plywood – with the aim to create a spatial experience that is formed with a singular tectonic and material language. The pavilion is intended as a place of refuge for visitors over-stimulated by the trade show floor – a place to relax and get away from the surrounding busy trade show, a place to enjoy and discover. The result is a semi-enclosed structure that provides a more intimate scale of space within the larger exhibition hall. The installation balances opposing forces of solid/void, open/closed, and vertical/horizontal.
The space is loosely enclosed by three hundred and ninety-two sheets of pine plywood, assembled without the use of adhesives. The primary material connections are held in place with friction, utilizing an interlocking assembly system. The pavilion is visually permeable and can be accessed by either side. After the closure of IDS Vancouver, the structure will be dismantled and subsequently re-purposed.
Central Bar is perceived as a sculptural mass, with a contradictory nature of appearing both solid and transparent, depending on the angle from which it is viewed. The intention is to create a voyeuristic relationship between the enclosed space of the bar and the surrounding circulation. Pulled deep into a visual haven, visitors are cocooned and buffered from the surrounded activity. Air, light, and sound penetrate intermittently through the thin planes of wood providing a real sense of intimacy.
The minimal interior puts an emphasis on facilitating engagement between the guests so as to achieve a space for exploration and engagement. The surrounding space becomes a canvas for light and shadows where random silhouettes stream into the space through the surrounding voids.
Awards
2019 / Core 77 Design Awards / Built Environment Award / Runner-Up
2019 / Frame Awards / Societal Awards: Sustainability Award / Shortlisted
