Toronto, Canada – May 25, 2017
Parkside Student Residence wins the Guth Interior Lighting Illumination Award at the Illumination Engineering Society (IES) Toronto Section Awards, handed out at the York Mills Gallery in Toronto on Wednesday, May 25th. The award is granted by the IES in recognition of ‘exceptional interior lighting projects that balance the functional illumination of space with the artistic application of light to enhance the occupant’s experience’. “It is an honour to have worked on this exciting conversion, utilizing light to embody the transformation at Parkside,” states Rebecca Ho-Dion, Director of ALULA Lighting Design, The HIDI Group’s architectural lighting design studio. “We worked closely with the design team to maintain a delicate balance of sophistication and playful whimsy to brighten students’ day to day, offer student utility, and showcase the architectural renewal.”

Parkside Student Residence offers state-of-the-art student housing to Toronto’s diverse student population. Centrally located to Ryerson University, University of Toronto, George Brown College, and other Ontario educational institutions, the edifice was formerly a brutalist 23-storey hotel that dates back to the 1970s. Developed by Knightstone Capital Management and designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the new Residence is airy and contemporary, projecting a bold new identity that celebrates this exciting milestone in student lives.

The piece de resistance of the $25M conversion is a glass box addition that connects students with the urban streetscape. Amenities include a 24-hour fitness centre, all-day dinning, roof-top patio, public and private entertainment spaces, on-site bike repair, and state-of-the-art study spaces that cater to student’s health, wellness, academic and social needs.

Student experience was at the core of the transformation. The lighting evokes a sense of play and comfort that resonates with the youthful residents, yet is mature and stylish to give students pride of place in their first home away from home.

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ALULA Lighting Design is an award-winning design studio that offers architectural lighting design consultancy to meet clients’ vision for the built environment. ALULA is a division of The HIDI Group, a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, and offers a unique blend of art and science. The studio is led by international lighting designer Rebecca Ho-Dion, bringing a new dimension of creativity and experience to the retail, commercial, entertainment, performing arts, educational, civic, museum and hospitality sectors. Recent projects include the Samsung Experience Store, Rogers Communications Workplace Transformation, Bensimon Byrne creative agency, University of Toronto University College Revitalization, and Bay and Scollard residential development.