Photography by Raphaël Thibodeau
The word “brasserie” is French for “brewery” and, by extension, “the brewing business,” which by further extension signifies “casual full-service restaurant.” Such was the inspiration for this pop-up pavilion to anchor events in Cossette’s new office gathering space, while also expressing the ad agency’s corporate DNA in a memorable way. After Cossette proposed the brasserie metaphor in the initial design brief, the design team stripped down the concept to its essentials, focusing on the familiar image of a 24-pack of “tall boy” aluminum beer cans. The pop-up’s mirror finish enhances the liveliness of the space while alluding to the reflective stainless-steel surfaces of brewing equipment seen in brewpubs. The mirror-surface cylinders playfully distort users’ reflections while adding a sense of buzz to the hubbub. To deliver the desired effect of an oversize, mysterious monolithic object, special attention was given to concealing hardware and components, especially for the sliding-doors assembly. They open to reveal a pristine white space within the pop-up equipped with shelves, a beer fridge and pegboard walls for hanging objects. When needed, this zone can take on a retail showroom-like appearance and serve for visual display and merchandising.
