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Global Furniture Group Head Office Mosaic Chicago S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 | 7 Johnson Chou Inc. P H OTO G R A P H Y BY B EN R A H N /A- F R A M E Johnson Chou Inc.'s conceptual explorations of narrative, transformation, and multiplicity by NATALIE BRUCKNER | photography courtesy JOHNSON CHOU INC. INSPIRED Instinctively a multi-media agency, wanted to retain the original industrial character of the historic structure, yet define the communal areas of the agency with unobtru- sive interventions. "Our solution was to utilize a single material that would carve, envelope, direct movement, and create forms. Everything from partitions, stairs, bleacher seating, and reception desk were constructed from semi-transparent perforated metal mesh, which in turn, metaphorically represented the client's own design ethos of transparency and community," explains Chou. Johnson Chou Inc. has an inherent understanding of what it takes to create engaging spaces; spaces that connect on an intellectual, emotional, and physi- ological level of experience. The Global Furniture Group, Head Office project is another great example of this. Located within Global Furniture Group's existing administrative building, the project is comprised of two levels of showrooms, entitled "Inspire" and "Envision." Complementary and functioning in tandem, the second floor, "Inspire," is designed to showcase Global's vast and diverse product range in a clear and coherent manner, with defined paths that link a series of episodic spaces or "vignettes." The third floor, "Envision," provides an opportunity to create varia- tions of a prototypical workspace – a total office solution – that can help the client envision Global's products in various work, meeting, and social environments. The success of this project resulted in a second project with Global Furniture Group, a showroom in mid-town Manhattan, conceived to simulate three prototypical environments: workplace, education, and wellness. "The design concept was to develop a figurative, undulating element that directs the visitor to the front of the showroom from the elevator lobby, directing movement, framing views, and revealing openings into the various showrooms. The screen is paired and anchored with a meeting and presentation counter mimicking the movement of the screen," says Chou. Other amazing projects of note include: the Speculum & Artifact, which is located in the underground PATH system and is an ensemble public art piece celebrating an original Banksy saved from demolition by Menkes Developments; the Table Rock Welcome Centre (in joint venture with project managers +VG Architects), situated at the precipice of the Falls, that is a both a "portal" and notional "hub" that functions in a supporting role to the visitor's appreciation of the awe-inspiring, cascading natural wonder; and LightHouse, the firm's first development project, and an experiment in building within the existing zoning constraints of a 600-square-foot floor plate, while maximizing light and expanding the footprint of the residence to impart the impression of a much larger building. "A project very dear to us, a residence entitled ShadowBox, was an opportunity to experiment nearly unfettered – it is a blank canvas to enable the witnessing of the passage of time by capturing the elusive play of light and shadow, and to engender a heightened sense of movement and ritual," says Chou. The body of work that Johnson Chou Inc. has completed in the past few years alone, and the impact these projects have had, is incredibly admirable. When you look at their website and scroll through the projects completed in each sector, it will strike you quite how unique each one is, and yet there is a certain "stamp" that makes them stand out as a Johnson Chou original. And that is destined to continue for many years to come. "We are very excited about the condominium, condo/hotel, and purpose-built rental projects we have recently been commissioned. Début Condos [Silverberg] and Horseshoe Resort Residences [Freed] in Barrie, 386 Symington [Tricon], 240 Markland [Carttera], and Mount Pleasant Village [Daniels], to name just a few. These projects have presented challenges to create innovative suite and amenity spaces. "We are supported by our development clients who encourage our studio to design spaces that are not only of beauty and meaning but are also further explorations of multi-functionality in personal and amenity spaces. Our Début condo project, currently under construction in Barrie, is a project with an extensive lifestyle component for the amenity spaces with an added feature of multi-functional suite kitchens. The clients were also supportive of our desire to create organic forms within the lobby and public areas as a reference to the adjacent natural landscape," he says. Chou is also looking forward to the current re-emergence of commercial projects and he and his team are currently designing three offices including one for multi-media agency Zulu Alpha Kilo. As we rapidly approach 2023, Chou is excited about what the future holds. In particular, the trajectory of all their multi-disciplinary projects. "We look forward to the outcome of our residential projects, both development and single-family homes of all scales. We are also positioning ourselves to be involved with projects promising innovation in the realms of modularity and sustainability," concludes Chou. A

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