Crash Pad™

An “Off-the-Wall” Performance, Bortolotto’s mandate for this project was simple: design a wall beneath a mezzanine to enclose, but keep accessible gym equipment. Typically, a wall of this nature would be designed using concrete block or drywall. When we analyzed how the space had to perform for the users, who might literally bounce off of it, we developed the Crash Pad concept: a wall made of rubber tubes. To make the wall work, we created a material that had just the right combination of flexibility, rigidity, and durability. The tubing allowed us to easily break the wall into a series of swinging doors, creating a surface that was more transparent, textural, and alive than conventional walls. The performance solution drove the style – enabling us to rethink the wall.
 

press + awards

Detailed Experience Canadian Architect
Ian Chodikoff, Canadian Architect, April 2005

Honorable Mention in Artifact Category, Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Award, 2005

Best of Canada Interiors Award, July/August 2004