The presence and identity of the University of Toronto’s Linguistics Department within the larger floor plate is established through this renovation as a warmer, more open and dynamic face with the construction of a new screen for the staff and student lounges, delivered on a very tight budget and timeline.
The new oak screen has alternating panels of glass and pin-up board, onto which are grafted 7’ tall letters spelling the word ‘Linguistics’. The screen opens up views to the outside, visually expanding and bringing natural light into the corridor. It also allows for glimpses into the new lounges, creating a connection between the public and semi-public realms and animating the long corridor.
Linguists regard language as a system which makes ‘infinite use of finite means’. A statement which applies to both the process of constructing space through architecture and the process of constructing meaning through language, we took this as the basis of our approach. The large graphic lettering plays on the idea that ‘text’ does not become ‘words’ until we give it meaning. As such, the viewer sees pieces of the word ‘linguistics,’ broken and abstracted depending on its material, and infers meaning from it. Furthermore, the large coloured Forbo panels function as bulletin boards, allowing the new façade to act as a communication interface, and adding yet another layer to the concept.
Photos by Tom Arban
Project: academic
