Four Seasons Montreal

This new-construction luxury brand hotel sits in the Golden Mile of Montreal, Quebec. The 18-story volume of floor to ceiling glass curtain walls and up-lit golden bas-reliefs façade houses several lounges and lobbies, meeting rooms and ballrooms, fitness rooms and terraces, a restaurant, bar, spa, atrium, 169 hotel guest rooms, 18 private residences and commercial spaces within its 377,000 square feet. Although the project was not required to comply with any energy regulations, energy efficient LEDs were specified as a forward-thinking approach to future regulations as well as responsible energy efficient design. The floor to ceiling window walls allow maximum fenestration, but because the Montreal climate lends very few sunny days within the year, it was of great importance for the interiors to be bright and full of light during the daytime and be able to seamlessly transition into an intimate and romantic atmosphere at night. We met this challenge by proposing warm-dim technology throughout the hotel that is balanced and controlled through a central dimming system. Time-clock settings and fade times are instrumental in transitioning from day to night without a single patron noticing the change in ambience. An immense amount of studying and translating the vision and details of the architect and designer was key to the effective positioning and placement of all light sources. All sight-lines and potential for glare were eliminated by careful planning and detailing. The majority of the lighting throughout the hotel is fully concealed integrated lighting that expresses and showcases the architectural elements. In addition to the more expected architectural cove lighting, lighting was also incorporated into the tops and bottoms of decorative column cladding, shelves and displays, under seating and in floating wood and stone wainscot paneling. Light sources matching the architectural lighting was implemented into decorative sources to ensure cohesive color temperature throughout the hotel.