Photo courtesy of ICFF
The Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF), held annually at Toronto?s historic Distillery District has opened the Lavazza VIP Lounge. The temporary installation is designed by Chairman Emeritus of NORR Silvio Baldassara.
As an Italian-Canadian Architect, Silvio Baldassara views the ICFF as more than just a film festival. He describes it as “an experience through social events for a month in the centre of the City at the Distillery that allows for inclusion of all people to come together at an indoor and outdoor venue unlike any other.”
In line with this vision, the Lavazza VIP Lounge offers festival-goers a space for relaxation and interaction.
The outdoor screen for the Trinity Cinema, the centerpiece of the festival, required a structural grid of large proportions ? 27 feet high and 36 by 27 feet in plan. Cue Cristiano DeFlorentis, artistic director and co-founder of the festival, who conceived the idea of transforming the utilitarian grid into the Lavazza VIP Lounge, using the expansive 36 by 27 feet plan. Photo courtesy of ICFF
Baldassara faced the challenge of incorporating a temporary tent lounge, previously occupying valuable circulation space on the Trinity plaza, into the grid structure while elevating it eight feet above the ground.
The solution emerged as a 10-foot-high shroud made of corten steel, suspended above the glass lounge, creating a striking visual effect. Additionally, Indiana limestone panels were attached to the...