Bayside Toronto—the city's most significant waterfront community—consists of a mix of residential and commercial buildings by Lake Ontario, reconnecting the urban bustle to the serenity of the waterfront. It is defined by sustainability, innovation, and high-quality public spaces, creating both a new scenic destination and a sought-after community for Torontonians. 

Future-forward, the development—including its two office buildings—is also part of East Bayfront's Intelligent Community, which offers high-tech capabilities like an ultra-high-speed broadband network with Wi-Fi access. A kilometer-long granite linear park runs at the water's edge—an idyllic place for a stroll. The third and most luxurious building of the Bayside community, Aquabella, is situated directly on the waterfront with sweeping views of the lake and the Toronto Islands. 

This residential complex possesses a boutique feel and commands extraordinary views of the water, the city, and neighbouring parks. Its unique L-shaped and terraced design was explicitly conceived to maximize views, and natural light yet maintains a degree of privacy for the individual suites. A harmonious material palette accentuated by exquisite detailing and a thoughtfully curated art collection exemplifies contemporary luxury. In the main lobby, a cascading screen of fluid, looped bronze rings is an organic counterpoint to the rectilinear language of the building's exterior and a subtle reference to the project's locale. 

The lobby of Aquabella, as a public thoroughfare, features Refraction—the tallest installation of continuous single fabricated acrylic pieces in the world at 40-foot-high. The word 'refraction' refers to the natural phenomenon of light passing through an optical prism. The multi-coloured acrylic beams in this innovative site-specific installation are a creative design solution for the unassuming high-ceiling space. Due to this central feature, the lobby's interiors are reminiscent of being underwater while the light permeates through: calm and contemplative. 

The ephemeral effect of these acrylic beams floods the entire lobby space with rays of polychromatic light. Surrounding it, a monochromatic composition of the natural material palette provides a neutral backdrop, framing this colourful central installation. Though industrial, acrylic has the ability to transform any space into a multi-colour kaleidoscopic environment, playing with light. For this installation, the long pieces of acrylics were built overseas, transported back to Toronto, and incorporated within the construction of the lobby, which proved to be a challenging process. 

The ground-floor windows were removed to implement each piece separately. It took about a year, yet we value-engineered it to keep the installation on budget. The experience of the actual piece in the lobby far exceeds the conceptual renderings. Aesthetically fascinating from every angle, Refraction is a rainbow-psychedelic experience.