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METROPOLIS,
Productsphere March, 2000 Oh Canada! A celebration of designs
by our friendly neighbors to the north. Canada exports more than just hockey players, comedians, and Celine Dion. The snowmobile, the paint roller and the electric cooking range are just a few of the nation's design innovations. Canadian designers such as Bruce Mau, Karim Rashid and, Frank Gehry may be household names in the U.S., but Americans don't often recognize their origin. Other Canadian designers currently making headlines include Greg Harrison one of hockey's best goaltender mask makers for 30 years. Each custom-built fiberglass and stainless-steel mask takes him about 70 hours to create. Thirty-two are on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. On the software front, Toronto-based Alias Wavefront has released PortfolioWall, a tool that enables design teams in different locations to collaborate on digital files such as animations and 3-D models. Perhaps growing up in this kinder and gentler nation has instilled Canadian designers with the public mindedness that imbues works like Bakery Group's lightweight, environmentally responsible Disaster Relief Shelter and the new contextually sensitive transparent bus shelters designed by Kramer Design Associates for Mediacom. Since 1995 the city of Montreal has promoted public awareness of good design by awarding businesses for projects that improve the quality of urban life. While trendy restaurants and boutiques are usually among the winners, the Commerce Design Montreal awards have also included companies that deal with the more pragmatic side of city living dry cleaners, health-food stores, and even a funeral parlor. The program is a good model for other cities worldwide. For more information please visit http://www.kramer-design.com or contact: Janet Young
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