585 Mapleton

The 1500 m² medical centre concept began with a three storey ‘rectangular box’ maximizing frontage on Mapleton Road and views to the adjacent nature park. By shearing the ‘box’ into two parts along the same perpendicular axis with an east-west atrium, a spine was created for the public arrival space and internal circulation. Natural light penetrates to the heart of the building. The simple geometric play also addresses a very prominent street corner.

The spine, expressed on the building’s exterior as a cantilevered volume floating above grade on the park side, is a distinctive design element, and is further enhanced by its bold lime-yellow colours and glazed end walls. The aesthetic approach is carried over into the bright and inviting interior, where elevated walkways crossing the atrium at each floor animate the space.

Modular aluminum composite panels enclosing the ‘boxes’ vary in color from black at the base, to medium and light grey mid-way, to white at the top providing a contrasting edge against the sky. A controlled pattern of fenestration around the building facades extends the modular alignment through the mullions organized within the base panel grid. Three meter high glass panels in a top floor Orthodontic clinic permit serene views of the adjacent nature park. The building’s design, referred to in the community simply as ‘585’, has become a distinctive landmark at one of the city’s more prominent gateways.