Lightweight Stone Elevator Panels

Rem Koolhaas’s new tower designed for Prada puts movement at its core. A panoramic glass elevator and encasing staircase cuts through the one-of-a-kind building giving visitors wide-ranging views of the compound and the city around it while cantilevering decks allow for different height floors for galleries, cafes, and restaurants. Koolhaas swaps out the standard stacked floor plan with a radical diversity within a simple volume.

Engineered natural travertine elevator panels utilize a specialty extruded aluminum substrate to reduce the weight of the complete elevator panel.

By capturing key features and bringing them directly into the elevator reduced the amount of decorative materials in the building subsequently celebrating the original architectural intent. Natural granite columns anchor the corners of the elevator to the buildings exterior in both elevator designs.

The Balfour Building is one of Toronto's lasting piece of Art Deco architecture owned and maintained by WTF Group. Their dedication to preservation and heritage inspired this custom wall graphic recreating the architectural elevations by Jewish Architect Benjamin Brown.