An anonymous donation of an enormous collection of 20th century photojournalism, the Black Star Collection, was the impetus to create The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University. The building was originally a shipping and receiving warehouse for O’Keefe Breweries; an almost windowless brick construction built in 1953. The new design program called for major renovations to the school, archival space for the collection, as well as giving the University campus increased visibility within the city fabric.

The illuminated skin is a double-facade treatment floating off of the existing warehouse building’s brick facade, which received new insulation and a smooth stucco finish to create a monolithic surface to act as a projection screen for the new lighting system. This core layer of envelope is shrouded by a secondary layer of translucent laminated structural glass suspended 1’-5” away by stainless steel point fittings on an aluminum framework hung from the existing building’s primary structure.

By day, the opaque appearance of the glass surface provides a white backdrop to bustling campus life and contrasts the centre’s transparent glazing at ground level. At night, a dynamic display of multicoloured lights glows in separate panels or in unison, transforming the building façade into a programmable and interactive light installation. Artists have been commissioned to create works of moving light and a mobile phone application allows the public to participate with real-time light patterns of their own design.