UP Express
Location: Toronto
Task: Design and Design Development
Collaboration: Hosoya Schaefer, Zurich - Winkreative, London - Zeidler Partnership Architects, Toronto
Press: Winkreative Design Stories Jan 2014
Toronto is a city with international ambitions. The new "UP Express" rail link to the airport is a particularly impressive example of this. The multi-million-dollar link, developed by Ontario's transportation company Metrolinx, connects Union Station with Pearson International Airport - creating Canada's largest transportation hub. MACH was tasked with developing a shopping and rest area for UP Express passengers at Union Station.
Working with London-based design agency Winkreative, MACH transformed the space into a warm, Canadian microcosm. Inspired by Ontario's scenic beauty, hues, materials and forms were chosen to spark nostalgia among locals and to excite foreign travelers. Amid the vast station, counters handcrafted from local wood divide the retail area and create an intimate, homey atmosphere. In addition to a coffee bar on the first floor, travelers can enjoy a small store offering local products. Whether business travelers, cosmopolitans or relaxation seekers: The lounge on the upper floor is the ideal place to meet new contacts or do business.