Three landmark venues in Toronto have recently seen their marquee signs made over. In each case, there has been an effort to restore a sense of the building’s history, while also newly branding it for future use. Yet, they represent three very different approaches.
在多伦多市，最著名的三个地标要属枫叶花园、埃德米尔维斯剧院和布洛尔影院。对于每个著名的地标性建筑，多伦多政府都在努力地恢复它们的荣誉和历史感，同时，也将群众品牌文化的观念植入其中，希望以此来发挥地标性标识在城市中的美学价值。对此，他们运用了三种截然不同的方法来翻新这三个建筑的地标。
Maple Leaf Gardens
枫叶花园
The most famous of the venues is Maple Leaf Gardens, which became vacant in 1999 when the local National Hockey League (NHL) team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, began to play home games at a newly built arena, the Air Canada Centre (ACC).
在多伦多，最著名的地标建筑要属枫叶花园莫属，在当时1999年的时候，当地的国家冰球联盟就是在枫叶花园新建的竞技场上举办的主场比赛。
Maple Leaf Gardens was built in 1931 and, though it was often termed a ‘cathedral of hockey, it also hosted major boxing matches, celebrity appearances, rodeos, religious and political speeches, concerts, ballet performances, wrestling bouts and other sporting events over the years. After the Leafs moved out, though, it ended up remaining empty for more than a decade before it was finally rehabilitated and repurposed, reopening in 2012 with a new grocery store on the main level, followed by a Ryerson University athletic centre on the upper level.
枫叶花园建于1931年，经常被人们称为“曲棍球决战场”，在这里曾经经历过重大的拳击比赛、名人秀、宗教和政治演讲、音乐会、芭蕾舞演出、摔跤比赛和其他体育赛事。事实上，在十多年前,它还是空虚一片，直到2012年才恢复并重新使用，开放了一系列新的商店，和一个名为瑞尔森大学的运动中心。
Engineering services for the renewal of Maple Leaf Gardens were provided by Exp, based in nearby Brampton, Ont., and formerly known as Trow Engineering. Toronto-based ERA Architects were retained as well, at the earliest stages of the project, as heritage consultants for a range of modifications to the original building.
枫叶花园地标的翻新工程由Exp负责，这家公司位于布兰普顿，以前叫做Trow。多伦多ERA公司的一些建筑师在此项目的最初阶段也一同参与，作为遗产顾问，负责对原始建筑进行一系列的修改工作。
The project involved preserving and restoring the building’s architectural heritage elements, including its brick façade, domed roof, window frames and marquee above the main entrance on Carlton Street. ERA supervised the alterations to the designated heritage elements that were retained, directing their restoration.
该项目涉及保护和恢复建筑遗产，包括砖墙立面、圆顶屋顶、窗框和主入口上方的大门卡尔顿街。ERA监督对所保留的指定遗产元素的修改，并指导他们的修复工作。
In the case of the marquee, a replica had to be designed. It had been decided in consultation with municipal heritage preservation services staff to restore this signature element to its most iconic, longest-running incarnation, which was in place from the 1940s—when the marquee was first updated with the addition of a lightbox above the canopy—until the ‘60s.
在进行标识的选框时，他们先设计好了一个副本。考虑到这个建筑来自于20世纪40年代，他们与市政文物保护人员进行协商，决定将建筑的地标用灯箱来展现，并添上了各种能展现历史风格的元素。
“We used the original drawings and a number of archival photographs, which had been taken in the 1940s when the marquee was updated,” explains Will MacIvor, ERA’s project architect.
ERA项目建筑师Will MacIvor解释说：“我们使用了原始图纸和一些档案照片加入到标识中。”
The marquee had subsequently been modified and renovated numerous times over the life of the building, but the historic character of this version of the building’s signage was considered the most clearly defined in the public consciousness. And while not all elements could be kept entirely intact, given the need to accommodate the structural modifications to the building’s interior, the sign’s customized font was carefully recreated from the historic photos and the soffit lighting was restored with the historic round fixtures in a staggered pattern.
另一方面，大厅的标识在建筑物的生命周期中被修改和翻新了多次，但这个建筑物标识的历史地位在公众意识中非常有存在感。由于标识被翻新了好几次，不是所有元素都保持原样，但鉴于需要适应建筑内部结构的修改，标识的定制字体只能从历史照片中，精心地被重新创建，他们使用了一种拱形照明的圆形装置和交错的图案来呈现。
“The signage was a priority, because it evoked part of the long history of the former arena, which is recognized as a national historic site,” says Brian Burton, a research and development specialist for Exp.
历史研究和开发专家Brian Burton说：“标识扮演着很重要的角色，它能展现关于建筑的一部分历史文化，还能成为一个国家的历史遗迹。”
Exp’s work on the project, which addressed a number of structural and building science challenges, went on to win an Award of Merit from the Consulting Engineers of Ontario.
在这个项目中，Exp解决了一些结构和建筑上的挑战，因此还获得了有关建筑上的优异奖。
Ed Mirvish Theatre
埃德米尔维斯剧院
Not far north of Maple Leaf Gardens stands the Ed Mirvish Theatre. It originally opened in 1920 as the Pantages Theatre, featuring a mix of movies and vaudeville acts. In 1930, it was renamed the Imperial and dropped the live entertainment, becoming exclusively a cinema for many decades to come.
在枫叶花园北面不远处就是埃德米尔维斯剧院。它最初于1920年开放，包括电影放映室和娱乐设施项目，放映室经常播放动作片。在1930年，它更名为帝国影院以后，开始停止娱乐设施项目，只播放影片。
Finally, in 1989, the building was restored to the 1920 esthetic and reopened as a live theatre. This new Pantages Theatre’s debut show, The Phantom of the Opera, was hugely successful and ran for 10 years. After it closed, there was a change of ownership and a new sponsorship deal, renaming the building the Canon Theatre in 2001. The sign was converted accordingly.
直到1989年，这座建筑才恢复了它在二十年代的美学价值，并重新开放。著名的歌剧《幽灵》在这个新的剧院进行了首演，取得了巨大的成功，之后的10年也都保持着大受欢迎的程度。在埃德米尔维斯剧院关闭的期间，它更换了所有权和赞助协议，在2001年，它又被重新命名为佳能剧院。
In 2008, the Canon was bought by Mirvish Productions. Once the sponsorship deal expired in 2011, founder David Mirvish decided to rename the venue in honour of his father, theatre impresario Ed Mirvish, who had passed away in 2007. A revised sign was needed.
2008年，佳能被Mirvish Productions收购，赞助协议在2011年到期，创始人David Mirvish决定将它再重新命名，以纪念他的父亲，同时需要重新设计一个标识。
Toronto-based ID, an independent contractor that has customized illuminated signs since 1995, was hired for the job in March 2012.
Toronto-based ID，成立于1995年，是一家专门定制发光字的独立承包商，于2012年3月被政府聘用，来接收制作埃德米尔维斯剧院的标识工作。
“We put a proposal forward to both rename the sign and reduce its energy consumption,” says Paul Kenny, founder and president of ID. “Also, the marquee amendment required a heritage permit from Toronto’s Heritage Preservation Services and a sign permit from the Building Division’s sign bylaw unit. We offered to work directly with the city, whereas another company would go through a third party and take three months instead of a couple of weeks. These days, the design, engineering and permits can be more time-consuming than manufacturing and installation!”
Toronto-based ID的创始人兼总裁Paul Kenny说：“我们提出建议，将剧院重新命名，同时要用先进技术来降低剧院的耗能。此外，由于修正案需要多伦多遗产保护服务的许可证和建筑单位的许可证，加上设计比制造和安装更费时间，我们主动提出与该市合作，而另一家公司则通过第三方，花了三个月的时间才正式开始。”
The 8.5 x 1.8-m (28 x 6-ft) Pantages sign had been built with letters cut into an aluminum background. When the Canon sponsorship deal began, these letters were simply covered up with more aluminum, then new letters in circular sign cabinets were affixed to that surface.
Pantages的标识尺寸为8.5 x 1.8米（28 x 6英尺），背景为铝质材料。当佳能公司赞助协议开始时，旧的发光字被铝覆盖，然后在铝质材料表面重新贴上了圆形发光字。
ID took the sign down and refurbished it with LED-illuminated cabinets with routed and infilled aluminum faces.
此外，Toronto-based ID采用了LED和填充铝面板的灯箱来填充标识。
“We didn’t touch the background,” says Kenny. “We took the old circles off and put new ones on.”
Kenny说：“我们翻新了标识，但是没有替换掉历史建筑的背景。我们只是用技术提升了它的内涵，同时保持了它以往的容颜和风采。”
During the refurbishment, some 3,000 11-W incandescent bulbs were removed from the marquee’s perimeter and exterior and replaced with 1.2-W light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures, connected to a mechanical flasher to enable ‘chaser bulb’ animation. As a result, power consumption was cut by 90 per cent.
在翻新过程中，大约3,000个11W的白炽灯泡从标识框的周边和外部去除，被1.2W的发光二极管所替代，再将它们一同机械闪光灯连接，实现了“追光灯”的动画效果，这样一来，电力消耗还减少了90％。
Besides the bulb and cabinet replacement, the internal wiring was refurbished, in keeping with the more efficient lighting system.
除了灯泡和机柜被更换以外，内部的接线也经过了翻新，实现了更高效的照明系统。
“The marquee had a cascade of wires inside, leading to every socket,” says Kenny. “We were able to cut out so many circuits.”
Kenny补充说：“剧院大厅内部有一串电线，能通向每个插座。”
The custom LED products were ordered from Edmonton-based LED Lights Canada, which has provided bulbs for other Mirvish Productions venues in the past, including the Royal Alexandra Theatre and the Princess of Wales Theatre.
应用在发光字的LED产品是从Edmonton-based LED Lights公司订购的，该公司同时为其他Mirvish Productions场地提供了照明产品，包括皇家亚历山德拉剧院和威尔斯公主剧院。
“These LED bulbs had to have the right base to fit into the sign,” says Kenny. “They provide a whiter, hotter light than many other LEDs, with a better ‘twinkle’ effect for a marquee. There’s been a huge influence on this technology from Las Vegas, Nev., the ‘land of the marquee.’ They’ve been converting sign lighting for years to save on power consumption and we’ve piggybacked on that. Everything’s available now, as long as you order enough of it.”
Kenny说：“这批定制的LED必须有正确的基准才能符合标识的应用，它们比其他LED能提供更白、更热的光线，对于大屏幕而言，具有更好的”闪烁“效果。这批定制的LED采用了一项新技术，能在使用多年的照明灯具上进行直接转换，非常节省电力的消耗。”
The rebranded marquee was unveiled to the public with a lighting ceremony on May 2, 2012. Fireworks shot into the air from the roof of the theatre.
2012年5月2日，随着烟花从剧院的屋顶射入空中，重新设计的标识在公众场合亮相。
“We did the whole thing in five weeks, delivering the sign back in time for the next musical opening,” says Kenny. “The marquee’s even more attractive than before, competing better with other signs nearby.”
Kenny说：“我们在五个星期内完成了标识的翻新，同时为在这里举办的下一次音乐会打了广告。翻新过的建筑比以前更有吸引力，标识也更为出众夺目了。”
He credits the improved esthetics to the use of LEDs.
大家总结，这一美学成果取决于使用了LED。
“LEDs have drastically changed our industry for the better,” he says. “It’s gratifying to install signs that are more efficient and effective. Neon is extremely energy-consumptive and negatively affected by cold temperatures. And white sign lighting used to involve white powdercoating inside a tube with argon and mercury; the mercury would also dissipate in winter, leaving dull, faded and blank spots. LEDs have eliminated those issues.”
他还说：“LED已经彻底改变了我们的行业，让我们安装出来的的标识更加令人耳目一新。 霓虹灯会产生极强的能源消耗，在寒冷的环境中丢失功能。但是LED却能消除这些问题，并最大化发挥它的利用价值。”
Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
布洛尔影院
At the same time, to the west in the Annex neighbourhood, the Bloor Cinema was being extensively renovated under the guidance of Toronto-based Hariri Pontarini Architects. Long known as an independent theatre specializing in independent and second-run films, the Bloor was purchased in 2011 by the Blue Ice Group to create a permanent home for Hot Docs, an annual festival of documentaries. Blue Ice would serve as the landlord, Hot Docs the tenant.
在2011年，位于西部的布洛尔影院在Hariri Pontarini建筑师的指导下进行了全面的翻新，此外，当地专门从事独立影院和二手电影运营的公司被蓝冰集团收购，蓝冰集团作为最大股东，创建了一个超大规模、专门播放纪录片的院线。
The renamed Bloor Hot Docs Cinema promised to screen documentaries year-round. Despite this new, more specialized purpose and the installation of a larger screen, Christie digital projector, surround-sound system, public address (PA) system, acoustical panels and new carpets and wall treatments, Blue Ice also focused on celebrating the building’s past. Seats from the 1940s, for example, were restored for the upper level.
他们将院线更名为布洛尔电影公司，并承诺，全年只播放纪录片。不仅如此，院线的安装还使用了最新最专业的屏幕、科视数字投影仪、环绕声系统、公共广播系统、隔音板等设备设施，还将20世纪40年代建设的座位提升了一级。
“It’s not a heritage building, but we respected what was there before,” says Patrick Cox, project manager for Hariri Pontarini. “There was an interest both in freshening it up and in being very sensitive to the community. We didn’t want people to notice all the changes inside.”
Hariri Pontarini的项目经理Patrick Cox说：“我们非常尊重这些历史建筑，想保留它过去的容貌和文化内涵，我们并没有将现代的元素来替换掉之前的东西，而是将现在最新的技术应用在其中。”
Though these changes were visually subtle, they were legion, requiring many months to complete.
虽然这些变化在视觉上是微妙的，但这些工作仍需要几个月才能完成。
“When the theatre closed in July 2011, Hot Docs said it would reopen that fall,” Cox says, “but the building was an old lady that needed a lot of work to bring her back to her original glory. And when you open up a building as old as this for renovations, there are always surprises you can’t plan for.”
剧院于2011年7月关闭，在秋天重新开放。Cox说：“这座建筑像一位雍容华贵的老妇人，需要大量精细的工作才能重现她的容貌。我们希望做到的是，当大家打开这个被重新装饰过的旧建筑时，会有无法预料的惊喜和赞美。”
Similar to Maple Leaf Gardens, the Bloor’s most iconic period began in the ‘40s, when it was the Midtown Theatre and featured an enormous, cable-supported marquee. This sign displayed the brightly lit Midtown name perpendicular to the building’s south-facing façade, so it was visible along Bloor Street to the east and west.
与枫叶花园类似的是，布洛尔影院是四十年代最具代表性的建筑之一，它最大的特色是有一个巨大的有线显示屏，部署在城市中心的上方，显示屏展现了它的名字，垂直于建筑物朝南的外墙上，所以，沿着布洛尔街向东和西，都能看见这块明亮的招牌。
The Bloor Cinema sign, by contrast, was installed in the 1980s flush to the wall, so it faced across the street. Blue Ice decided to return to the Midtown era somewhat, with an art deco-inspired—but decidedly modern—sign that could again be seen far along Bloor Street.
布洛尔影院的地标标识在20世纪80年代被安装在墙上，蓝冰集团决定打造一种艺术装饰风格的现代化标识，当我们看到布洛尔影院的地标标识重新在布洛尔街出现时，风采依旧。
“The Bloor Cinema sign was on sheet metal lining the wall surface,” says Cox. “At first, Blue Ice was just going to leave it, but once the reopening was pushed back, there was time to change it, starting in December. We couldn’t just paint it, so we took the whole canopy down. We did consider an old-style sign, but the time frame wasn’t quite long enough for that, as we still needed to get a permit and variance from the city, so instead we designed a new red sign to bring attention to the entrance. We’re giving Hot Docs a real presence on the street.”
Cox说：“布洛尔影院的标识是安装在墙面的钣金上。本来，我们考虑想打造出一种旧式风格的标识，但由于时间有限、标识的框架不够长，加上我们需要从城市获得许可证而耽误时间，没有办法实现，所以，我们换了一种设计方案，设计了一个红色标识。”
The architects worked with Hot Docs representatives to design the lettering for the sign. Again with the community in mind, it was seen as more important to emphasize ‘Bloor’ than the Hot Docs brand.
考虑到周围社区的整体协调度，强调影院的名字比Hot Docs这个品牌更为重要。
Greenford Construction, the contractor for the renovations, co-ordinated the installation of a structural steel beam and an electrical contractor’s wiring inside the theatre to support the new outdoor sign, which was manufactured and installed by Pattison Sign Group. The beam was connected via steel plates and bolts through the façade to a steel tube outside.
此外，Greenford建筑工程公司也一同协调剧院内钢梁和布线的安装工作，以及Pattison Sign Group制造和安装的户外标牌的工作。（钢梁是钢板和螺栓通过外墙连接到外部的钢管）
he sign used powdercoated aluminum and red channel letters illuminated by an LED and control panel package from Philips Color Kinetics, designed to provide a warm light. Pattison suggested the dark grey letters for the words ‘Hot Docs Cinema’ because their contrast levels would allow them to be seen clearly day and night.
标识采用的是铝质红色LED的槽型发光字，控制面板的封装安装了菲利浦颜色动力系统，能提供温暖的光。另外，Pattison将“Hot Docs Cinema”做成了深灰色的字母图形，标识图形的对比度不管在白天还是黑夜都有很好的效果。
“There’s been a lot of positive feedback on the renovations,” says Cox, who continues to meet with the landlord and tenant to arrange further tweaks to the reborn venue.
Cox表示：“对于这个工程来说，我们得到了有很多积极有效的反馈意见，正是有这些，我们才能进一步调整，完善出整体的效果。”
