DDi - April/May 2012 - (Page 42)

42 | Right Light Step it up Videotron’s downtown Montreal store glows with a golden entry and multimedia staircase By Vilma Barr ideotron, a leading Canadian telecom provider, wanted a high-traffic, upscale urban location for its new downtown Montreal flagship. The company selected Sainte Catherine Street West, a premier address for fashion-forward boutiques and specialty electronics stores. To establish its identity on this busy retail thoroughfare, the Videotron store employs a combination of color, lighting technology and interactive multimedia displays. Montreal-based V Sid Lee Architecture developed the architectural and lighting programs for the 4,500-sq.-ft., trilevel store. “Our team was essentially given carte blanche by Videotron to create an environment to attract visitors by presenting a unique brand experience,” says Martin Leblanc, architect partner for Sid Lee Architecture. Leblanc and his team selected materials that reinforce Videotron’s contemporary brand— yellow glass, black lacquer, chrome, brick and glass boxes. “A limited amount of products are on display,” Leblanc says. “The emphasis is on real-time demonstrations and experimentation with Videotron’s different services, rather than products.” Visitors are introduced to the Videotron store through a glowing golden cube exterior vestibule. Overhead, eight 4-ft.-long Lumenfacade LED units by Lumenpulse were installed above yellow, frosted glass panels. The 2,700˚K, 120-volt dimmable units carry a 105,000-hour life rating. Ambient lighting on the sleek ground floor is provided by flush-mounted T5HO trimless fixtures from Luxtec. Staggered configurations of the 4-ft. lamps eliminate socket shadows, allowing Leblanc to create a ceiling pattern of vertical and horizontal random placements along the length of the store and under the staircase. The Solotech-designed staircase, clearly visible through the front entrance, doubles as a multimedia display that makes ascending to the second level a participatory techno-art experience. The staircase is comprised of more than 150 LED tiles on the step risers, to create a changing, full-motion graphic show. It utilizes Toshiba’s MagnaFlex display system of 10-mm flexible magnetic LED screens mounted onto a rubber base. On the second floor, two clear suspended sound-proof pods are used to demonstrate the audio/visual effects possible with a high-definition TV system supplied by illico on an 85-degree screen. To bring illumination to the open space, which has a reflective ceiling and wall opposite the staircase, Leblanc hung black powdercoated aluminum fixtures. Made by XAL, the Stilo 60 Soft fixtures contain a dozen MR16 lamps. Videotron’s sophisticated retail space in Montreal is part of the company’s strategy to enlarge its service area presence, which is primarily Quebec. The company maintains nearly 100 counters and booths in various locations and 19 standalone stores in shopping malls across the province. To e-mail this article, visit www.ddionline.com/magazine. Photos: Stéphane Brügger | April/May 2012 www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com/magazine http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2012

DDi - April/May 2012
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Loblaws
The new food retail
Channel Focus: Jewelry
What’s next for digital retail?
Mobile wallets
Product Spotlight: Technology
Right Light
Post-Show Coverage
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Think Tank

DDi - April/May 2012