After months of engineering, development and fabrication, the CN Tower unveiled its newly renovated retail interior, which features three visually impactful designs by ASTOUND in partnership with Boszko & Verity and II By IV Design.
“We are thrilled to be involved with this iconic Toronto-based project. The CN Tower is the most recognizable building in the world and the ASTOUND team is excited to demonstrate our precise fabrication techniques on a project with such a global reach,” said founder & CEO, Dale Morgan.
The Icebergs
The six multipurpose Icebergs serve as striking sculptural pieces and retail displays for visitors. They are viewable from the mezzanine and store level with TV monitors flush mounted to the tips of each structure.
Originally, the icebergs were to be constructed using anti-scratch, anti-fingerprint, anti-graffiti, color-core laminate. Due to the complicated geometrical design, the material needed to be changed to painted millwork with the same properties. This structure is digitally fabricated using a 5-axis CNC machine and fitted with lighting and lockable doors.
The City Grid
The City Grid is the largest feature of the renovation, expanding into the second story of the ground level and acts as the centerpiece to the retail concept. Placed over a faceted maple leaf, the City Grid was built using 1×1 powder-coated steel tubes.
In the initial stages of the development process, the ASTOUND team focused on maintaining the feature’s structural integrity. A tube-laser was used to limit the number of welds and achieve the highest level of precision possible to align with B&V’s concept. With light boxes displaying facts and statistics about the CN Tower and its history, the structure also serves as conventional retail shelving.
The Cash Shroud
The two Cash Shrouds are multidimensional millwork pieces and mirror images of each other. During the digital fabrication process, the 3D model was mirrored identically on SOLIDWORKS. Each shroud is two layers with a sub panel system known as FastMount, which allows for several benefits to ensure each feature is durable and allow for future maintenance.
The same anti-scratch, anti-fingerprint, anti-graffiti paint was used on each panel. The panels are flush mounted using fasteners and through the digital fabrication process, they can be replaced with identical pieces if any damage takes place. The entire structure, including the waffle frame was constructed using a 5-Axis CNC machine.
Photography by Caelin Williams.