A new travelling exhibit, built by 3DS and presented by Indigenous Tourism Ontario and Science North, will be making its way across Ontario over the next two years.

Indigenous Ingenuity: Timeless Inventions is an interactive 100 sqm exhibition that explores Indigenous innovations, knowledge, technology, and the lasting contributions of First Nations and Inuit peoples in our country.

Exhibit components include hands-on, engaging displays and interactive structures that emphasize Indigenous perspectives, storytelling, ways of learning and teaching, contributions to society, and connections between past and present day innovations and applications. Visitors of all ages and abilities can engage with and learn from the various interactive and informative features of this exhibit.

Indigenous Ingenuity will be travelling to 20 sites across northern Ontario over the next two years, starting at its first stop at the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre in Kenora, ON (currently on display until Oct 26, 2022!).

Read more about the exhibit’s fabrication and tour.

Today, the new KF Centre for Excellence opened in Kelowna, BC, offering an incredible aviation experience for locals and tourists alike!

The centre features a state-of-the-art aviation exhibition, designed by GSM Project and built by 3DS, that inspires visitors to explore the ins and outs of aviation from various perspectives and learn about Canadian aerospace in an immersive and multi-sensory way.

Multiple zones consisting of interactive and engaging models, simulations, animations, and activities, make up an exhibition that celebrates Canada’s history of aerospace achievement and encourages continued innovation and discovery in BC and beyond.

Located right next to the Kelowna International Airport, this beautiful aviation centre promises to be a landmark in Kelowna and BC for decades to come!

A huge congratulations to the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Centre for receiving the Canadian Museums Association’s Award of Outstanding Achievement for Exhibitions!

The Exhibition award category recognizes exceptional exhibitions “that effectively and distinctively contribute to increase public understanding.” The WHP exhibition does just that by allowing visitors to engage with and learn of the culture and heritage of the Northern Plains Peoples. The exhibition focuses on immersive displays and interactive galleries that convey a shared experience and connect visitors to the land, the nations of the Northern plains, and the ancient gathering place of Wanuskewin.

This exhibition was brought to life through the dedication and collaboration of many teams, including indigenous advisors and community members. We are proud to have been part of a project that increases cultural understanding through the sharing of indigenous voices and the passing on of indigenous knowledge and heritage.

Read more here: 2022 CMA Award Winners

Congratulations to the City of North Vancouver on the opening of the new MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver!

This stunning museum offers a unique experience of North Vancouver’s stories, landscapes, and people. Designed by Vancouver’s KEI Space and proudly built by 3DS, this museum consists of 15 exhibits and various electro-mechanical interactives, custom graphics, and historical artifacts.

Learn more here: MONOVA

Congratulations to the Chinatown Storytelling Centre on their opening!

The Chinatown Storytelling Centre provides the opportunity for visitors to learn about the history of Vancouver’s Chinatown and how this community has shaped the city’s past and present through its rich culture, people, and stories. Visitors can engage with historical displays and structures, mural walls, and interactives to learn about the history and contributions of Chinese Canadians in our country.

3DS is proud to be the fabricator of this exhibit that encourages the passing on of cultural stories for generations to come.

Learn more here: Chinatown Storytelling Centre

Congratulations to Wanuskewin Heritage Park for being awarded the 2021 Cornerstone Award by the National Trust for Canada!

This award recognizes the $40 million transformation and expansion of the WHP centre, which exhibits the culture and tradition of the peoples of the Northern Plains.

The interpretive centre exhibition, designed by AldrichPears Associates and proudly built by 3DS, was made in consultation with various Indigenous advisors, and honors the history, identity, and significance of these peoples and this ancient gathering place.

Read more here: National Trust Award – WHP

The original Niagara Parks power generation plant is being repurposed for a public exhibit and tourist attraction. Part of the transformation includes three interactive exhibits – the Flowmodel exhibit, the Penstock exhibit, and the Control Panel exhibit – which are now open at the power station!

The Flowmodel exhibit incorporates three screens and digital content to reflect the inner workings of the building and all the various equipment and deck levels involved. The mass model section of the exhibit showcases what exists underneath this historical landmark building, including lights and alternator equipment details.

The Control Panel is another interactive exhibit in which visitors are able to both learn about the controls of the plant and play alongside others in a game operated by gesture-controlled tablets.

The Penstock is an interactive walk-through experience that utilizes a motion sensor to trigger both lighting and water sounds to truly immerse the visitor in the scale and power of the penstocks that lay just beneath their feet.

Be sure to check out these exhibits and learn more about the power station in an engaging and imaginative way!

Congratulations to Manitoba Museum on the opening of its new Prairies Gallery and the completion of its $20.5 million renewal project!

3DS is proud to have been the fabricator for the new Prairies Gallery as well as the previously completed Winnipeg Gallery – two components of this transformative project.

The Prairies Gallery uses interactive displays and enriching experiences to showcase the unique environment and great biodiversity of the Manitoba grasslands.

Read more here: Manitoba Museum

As part of a $40 million-dollar transformative project, the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Centre commissioned 3DS to fabricate and install their new interpretive exhibition.

Designed by AldrichPears Associates, the exhibit communicates the cultural and spiritual tradition of the Northern Plains Nations through immersive environmental galleries, audio stations, display kiosks, mural wall systems, and other interactive areas.

We are proud to have been the fabricator of this stunning exhibition that will continue to tell the stories of the peoples of the Northern Plains for many generations to come.

Learn more about the exhibit here: WHP Centre

The Big Sky Ski Resort in Montana has opened their stunning new food hall, Vista Hall, which includes 6 eateries and 350-seat capacity. This project resulted in the incredible transformation of Big Sky’s 18,000 sq. ft. base lodge.

Complete with beautiful finishes and natural materials that incorporate seamlessly with the surrounding environment while also delivering a modern look, the hall offers an excellent place for visitors to take a break, grab a bite, and enjoy the scenery.

Check out this video for a glimpse into Vista Hall!

For the first time in over 15 years, Manitoba Museum has a new permanent exhibition space – the Winnipeg Gallery!

From dynamic touch screen map tables to historical artifact displays, this gallery is full of engaging and informative exhibits that reveal the history and unique character of the city of Winnipeg and explore the places, people, and stories that helped shape it.

This gallery was created in close consultation with Indigenous advisors and immigration teams in order to accurately integrate the experiences and history of these groups. The stories of the people of Winnipeg – including Indigenous peoples and early immigrants – are told in an immersive and imaginative way through the use of seamlessly integrated multimedia.

Read more here: Manitoba Museum Winnipeg Gallery

It’s an exciting time for young scientists at the TELUS World of Science Edmonton. 3DS would like to congratulate TWOSE on the opening of their new CuriousCity gallery. The path high above the gallery where kids can travel through a series of connected “treehouses” themed as Edmonton landmarks will be a hit with visitors. This hands-on immersive experience for youngsters includes navigating Edmonton buildings, directing airplane traffic at YEG airport from the “control tower,” creating light displays at the High Level Bridge, and exploring local vegetation in the Muttart Conservatory.

CuriousCity is a highly interactive gallery including a vacuum-powered ball game that allows visitors to set balls flying through an intricate series of spiraling tubular orange paths, a winding tunnel where kids can view fossils embedded into sedimentary rock, a softly padded river, complete with a squishy slide and river rock pillows, and a replica botanical conservatory that presents children with local flora and sculptured scent diffusers.

3DS is proud to have been the fabrication partner for CuriousCity, with concept and design led by Milan Krepelka, Director of Exhibits, TWOSE and Jeff Kennedy Associates Inc. This magical miniature world is sure to engage, inspire and spark a sense of wonder for years to come.

Congratulations to Stratton Mountain! – Grizzly’s at The Base Lodge was recognized as Vermont’s most beautifully designed bar in Architectural Digest’s recent “Most Beautifully Designed Bar in Each State in America” feature.

In need of a complete refresh, Stratton came to us with the mission of remodeling and updating the entire base lodge. Our goal was to update Grizzly’s without taking away from its best feature – the view.

We built a stunning new island bar in the center of the room, with a custom cast concrete bar top. A timber-framed canopy over the bar added intimacy without blocking sight lines. Finishes throughout were upgraded using rough-cut oak and corrugated steel paneling.

Here’s a link to the article (you’ll need to scroll down):

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/best-designed-bar-each-state

In a province whose past, present, and future is so deeply connected to the Ocean, the brand new Bill and Janet Murphy Oceans Gallery at the Discovery Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia gives visitors the opportunity to explore their curiosity about the world’s Oceans. Opening on World Oceans Day 2018, the brand new and exciting 1500 square foot gallery allows kids of all ages to explore subjects such as the water cycle, climate change, ocean exploration, and marine ecosystems through a series of engaging and hands-on interactives.

Within the gallery, visitors can watch sea ice magically appear and expand through multiple adjustable polarizing filters, interact with local low tide invertebrates in a custom-made touch tank, interact with Lego models to discover how Atlantic coastal communities have adapted to the climate change, and take control of the water cycle, and “make it rain”  with a mechanically operated ball machine to learn about the continuously changing states of water.

Designed by Vancouver, BC firm AldrichPears Associates and through collaboration with digital interactives partner NGX Interactive, 3DS fabricated, integrated and installed all exhibits, graphics, and signage. We are proud to be part of the realization of this important gallery that gives guests the chance to gain a deeper understanding of how the ocean influences us and how we influence the ocean.

Congratulations, TELUS World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE), on the opening of the new S.P.A.C.E. (Stars, Planets, Astronauts, Comets, Etc.) Gallery – an important part of TWOSE’s ongoing expansion. The 5000 square foot space is now home to a series of new exhibits that revitalizes one of TWOSE’s most loved galleries. Along with the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery opening, TWOSE opens its 200-seat Zeidler Dome with its state-of-the-art 10K projection system – currently the most advanced projection system in the world.

Young visitors have the opportunity to learn as they play, moving through the solar system with a series of engaging interactives. In the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, visitors can launch their own rocket into orbit, travel to the moon commanding a lunar lander, scour the solar system for black holes, examine an actual moon rock, or just sit back and watch the Northern Lights.

Multimedia displays throughout the gallery show the sun in stunning 4K resolution, give a glimpse of an astronaut’s life in orbit, and explore Earth from the perspective of the International Space Station.

3DS was honoured to be the fabrication partner for this important gallery that will inspire our future astronauts and space explorers!

3DS is eager to see the spring opening of the Fort Walsh National Historic Site, another successful Parks Canada project.

Fort Walsh, located in Canada’s only inter-provincial park – Cypress Hills, hadn’t seen an upgrade in 20 years. Working with design partner Aldrich Pears Associates, our teams worked closely to give the Parks Canada Fort a modern edge.

The task of updating exhibits in historical spaces like this comes with its challenges. Using current techniques and materials, the team had to find ways to achieve an updated look for the space, while maintaining the “historical fort” feel of the location.

The various artifacts collected during the fort’s lengthy history provided the team with a familiar challenge in the management of these items. 3DS’s expertise in artifact care and management became a particular asset during this process. Working with the Parks Canada team and conservation partners, we were able to provide the specialized care these items required.

For graphics and signage, use of direct-to-substrate printing allowed us to provide content to visitors without masking the natural wood grain – contributing to the natural wood-fort-esque feel of the exhibit.

Congratulations to Parks Canada and the Staff at Fort Walsh on this important refresh!  3DS feels privileged to have been part of the revitalization of the Fort Walsh Visitor Centre and we look forward to your opening in May.

As part of a multi-million dollar renovation of the Sun Valley Inn, 3DS revitalized two existing locations: Village Station and The Ram. The first, a complete renovation, and the other, a careful update to an iconic space cherished by the community. Both these projects brought the spaces into the modern age while paying homage to Sun Valley’s iconic heritage.

At Village Station, we were asked to create a new dining venue in the Sun Valley village – a family-friendly, casual space that would appeal to a wide range of guests. 3DS conceived, designed, and fabricated the new Village Station Restaurant that welcomes new generations of families and casual diners, while paying homage to the Union Pacific Railroad, the company that built the resort.

While Village Station was a total reinvention, The Ram was the opposite; for over 80 years, countless guests came to treasure its near-perfect balance of fine dining and unpretentious rustic warmth. During our concept development, we were told in no uncertain terms that we must respect every inch of its history. But it was also clear that the space needed a serious refresh. Paying close attention and taking special care to preserve the Ram’s unique spirit, we were able to subtly bring this much-loved space into a more modern era.

Read More about our exciting Sun Valley Projects:

Villiage Station Renovation

The Ram Rejuvenation 

After four years of repair and renovation work, Heritage Village – formerly known as Heritage Park – is reopening for Canada Day 2017.

During the 2013 Fort McMurray Floods, the buildings that make up the Historic Heritage Village suffered severe damage. Each building required its own unique restoration. In light of this tragedy, the Fort McMurray Heritage Society saw this as an opportunity to breathe new life into the Village. A new layout for the village was established with many of the buildings receiving brand new exhibits and audio/visual interactive elements offering visitors the ability to walk through history and experience the stories of those who came before.

Congratulations to the Fort McMurray Heritage Society and designer Juan Tanus of KEI Space Design on their work to restore this important historical location. 3DS is honoured to have been a part of it.

For more information about this historic venue and the re-opening follow this link

http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/2017/05/26/after-four-years-of-restoration-work-heritage-village-to-reopen-on-canada-day

Congratulations to the developers — Qualico Communities and Bordeaux Developers — for their recent SAM awards for Calgary’s new community, Harmony of Rock View County.

Harmony collected five 2016 SAM awards from BILD Calgary Region on April 8, 2017 including New Community of the Year and Community of the Year — Calgary Region. Harmony’s marketing team was recognized for the Best Sales and Information Centre (Detached), which is Harmony’s Discovery Centre, Best Direct Mail Piece, and Best Marketing Campaign of the Year.

Harmony is a residential town-centre development, situated between Calgary and the Rockies, introducing a whole new category of community that includes man-made lakes, a full houseboat village and a range of infrastructure.

3DS is honoured to have partnered with Bordeaux Developers to design and fabricate the Discovery Centre that tells the story of this unique and vibrant community. The Discovery Centre immerses visitors in the vision of this community and the history and surrounding area that inspired its design.

Learn more here: Harmony Sales Centre

American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Recognizes Wanapum Heritage Center in Annual Excellence in Exhibition Competition

3DS was pleased to be in attendance when the Wanapum Heritage Center in Mattawa, WA, won an Honorable Mention as part of AAM’s Annual Competition in Exhibition Excellence. The competition includes exemplary exhibitions created by a variety of museums, with the winners able to share the inspiration for their award-winning exhibitions at AAM’s Annual Conference, which took place in St. Louis, May 7-9.

Out of 31 entries, Wanapum Heritage Center’s exhibition “Tamanwit: Unwritten Laws and Beliefs, Wanapum of Priest Rapids” was one of four special entries to receive the distinction of Honorable Mention.

The Wanapum Heritage Center provides a place for the Wanapum people to celebrate and maintain their culture as they tell the story of their way of life.  The team worked together for 15 years to help make their vision a reality by aiding in the interpretation, multimedia production, design, production and fabrication of an exhibition that tells their story, their way. Congratulations, too, goes to Vancouver Island based design firm Andre & Associates, who’s design helped bring the story of the Wanapum People to life. 3DS is proud to have worked as the fabricating partner on this award-winning exhibition.

Learn more here: Wanapum Heritage Center

AFTER ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR IN 2016, 3DS has new and exciting projects on the horizon to keep up the momentum for 2017. New projects, new staff, new website; there’s a lot to be excited about at 3DS.

Brand New Website!

As you’ve probably noticed, our new website has been launched!  You have to agree that the new look for 3DS’s website is a big step forward. We’ve updated projects, increased functionality and made it much easier to navigate. Go ahead take it for a spin and let us know what you think of the new design. Come back from time to time and stay current with company news, get to know our talented team and learn about the exciting projects we are working on.

Meet us at a Trade Show!

We are making a grand appearance at the annual Canada West Ski Areas Assoc. Spring Conference 2017 in Banff, Alberta and the National Ski Areas Assoc. Convention and Tradeshow in Scottsdale, Arizona. Creating fantastic bars & restaurants for resorts is something we love to do – and it shows in our results. If you haven’t looked already, click here to see our portfolio. If you’re planning to attend one of these exciting shows, please drop by and say “Hi!” to our Founder and President, Ross Ireland. He’ll be at our booth waiting for you:

CWSAA National Convention – Banff, Alberta: Booth 16

NSAA Conference – Scottsdale, Arizona: Booth 33

See you there!

Want to know more about 3DS?

Check out our other awesome projects here and get in touch with us today:

info@3dservices.com -or- 1.877.485.8187

National “Best Exhibit” Honours For Edmonton’s 3DS-Built Science Centre Gallery

IT’S AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE TO VISIT AND IT WAS AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE TO BUILD. Telus World of Science – Edmonton was awarded “Best Exhibit, Large Institution”, by the Canadian Association of Science Centres, at their 11th annual Awards Gala. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in science and technology exhibitry. This world-class science centre inspires people of all ages with science and technology.

The winning exhibit is the Syncrude Environment Gallery. 3DS worked with Aldrich Pears Associates, who designed the gallery, and AV content was handled by NGX Interactive. Aldrich Pears came up with interactive exhibits, large and small, from enabling visitors to control mini-tornadoes using only their hands, to manipulating the weather of the entire world, on a massive hanging globe. This is the most complex and exacting science centre 3DS has built and we worked hard to bring it to life. Once everything was fabricated and on site, we were very pleased that it all fit together with remarkable precision – better than even we had expected.

This engrossing exhibit encourages visitors to become scientists themselves and to better understand the role of science in our ongoing environmental debates. The big ideas are made personal through contributions of actual scientists, from right in the local area. Graphics are vibrant, interactive exhibits are thoroughly engaging and opportunities abound for full-body play. The Syncrude Environment Gallery shines as a leader in high-quality, interactive exhibits that provide avenues for both learning and entertainment.

An International Award From Wallpaper*, For An Immersive Environment That’s Anything But Wallpaper

“STRIKING”, “INSTANTLY ENGAGING”, “A CROWD-PLEASING PIECE OF CONTROLLED DRAMA”. That’s how Britain’s Wallpaper* Magazine, arbiter of style, design and all things cutting-edge, describes the University of British Columbia’s new Pharmaceutical Sciences Building. This latest in 3DS’ top award-winners received the publication’s “Best Lab” award for 2013. Together with Smart Design Group and NGX Interactive, we created a fully-immersive showcase that’s light-years from the stuffy, traditional halls of academia. Workers and visitors alike move daily through an interactive world of kinetic sculpture and responsive display, all designed to present science in the greater context of its place in mother nature. This important and prestigious award represents the recognition not just of England but of the entire world of design and we’re very proud to be associated with the project like this – one that’s made waves all the way across the ocean.

PHOTO: Saucier + Perrotte Architectes / Hughes Condon Marler Architects

River District Experience Centre Wins Gold Award – Best Presentation Centre in North America!

NOT THAT WE DIDN’T LOVE SEEING RIVER DISTRICT WIN THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE’S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE, “BEST OUT OF BOX”. That’s a huge honour and we all wear it proudly. Now, the National Association Of Homebuilders apparently agrees. In their recent annual Las Vegas awards event, ‘The Nationals’, the River District Presentation Centre was given their Gold Award, the show’s highest honour, for ‘Best Presentation Centre’ in all of North America. The Nationals is the largest and most prominent awards event in the industry and represents the greatest achievements in new-home marketing, across the entire continent. River District’s award-winning Discovery Centre distinguished itself as best of the best through its uniquely multifaceted capabilities, functioning as sales center, community center, and a true hub for the increasingly vibrant surrounding area.

Actually, We’ve Spent Decades Outside The Box.

When the Urban Development Institute hosted its Pacific Region “Awards for Excellence In Urban Development”, 3DS was right there. From over 88 project nominations, one of our most “out of the box” discovery centers took the award for, well, “Best Out Of Box”.

River District is a master-planned community developed by ParkLane Homes and its remarkably innovative sales centre was created, with design partners Braun Allison, to help develop a sense of community, in an area that needed more of it. The centre has become a powerful marketing tool, drawing people to the site and showcasing a now vibrant, growing community. Focal points include a massive interactive site model that uses light projections to highlight aspects of the project, a giant wall map for orientation, screens and projectors for presentations and a lot of the interactive exhibitry technology 3DS is known for. All this connects the River District community to its surrounding neighbourhood.

The UDI Awards reflect judging criteria that include functionality, environmental sustainability, innovation & quality in concept, design & construction, neighbourhood integration, overcoming complex challenges in planning, development and construction, and success in marketing & sales. UDI President and CEO, Anne McMullin said, “For a winning project and its developer, an award of excellence is the highest form of peer-to-peer recognition one can receive in the development industry.”

CAYA Retail Store Design Award: Apparently, If We Build It, It Will Win.

One of our favourite recent projects made us even prouder, with a major national award. 3DS built the launch units of the innovative CAYA store, a co-venture of Telus and Black’s Photography. That store has now gone on to top honours, in the category of Best Retail Store Design, beating out a front line of the industry’s heaviest hitters, including Staples, Harry Rosen, The Bay/Zellers and RBC. Designed by our longtime collaborators, Waddell and Conder, the CAYA concept goes well beyond simply being a retail store, with a complex brand structure that’s as much community centre as retail facility.

Based on a joint connection of key lifestyle products, CAYA connects TELUS mobility products, Black’s photography & imaging technology, Optik TV and accessories. As a community hub, the ingenious “flex-space” hosts community events such as book launches, smartphone orientation seminars and even weddings. The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association, representing more than 43,000 stores, in all retail formats. RCC is a powerful advocate for Canadian retailing and works with all levels of government and other stakeholders.

3DS Takes Leading Industry Award For Major Ski Resort Renovation

3DS has taken a top prize at the BC Woodworkers Association Annual Conference. We were presented with the First Prize Gold in Projects For Export, for our dramatic revamp of a beloved California skiing landmark. Continuing our work on other lodges in the same resort, 3DS designed and executed a major renovation of Squaw Valley’s iconic Olympic Base Lodge, originally built for the 1960 Olympics. 3DS fully restored the entire main floor, including the historic “R1”, very first bar in Squaw Valley (hence the name). We gave it a strong mid-century look & feel, yet blended with it a very contemporary sensibility, allowing us to bring the California ski mecca into this century, while still honouring its proud legacy.

We Honestly Never Thought We’d Win An International Award For Floral Display. Honestly.

But that’s exactly what’s happened. The Plantscape Industry Alliance Conference in Las Vegas has given 3DS its Award of Excellence. This is an international show and the top award for best floral display on the entire continent. We’ll bet you’re thinking of a nice flower arrangement, in a nice vase. At Grandma’s. This is nothing like that.

In fact, it’s a fully immersive world of Spring flowers – like a discovery center, but completely in bloom, everywhere you look. A Spring promotion for Richmond Centre Mall, the Spring Garden Display, aka “Blossom” allows customers to enter into the brilliance and fragrance of an early Spring, even while skies are February grey, outside. The display has been popular beyond all expectations and has been brought back for a second year.

Developed in conjunction with Joe Fry, acclaimed landscape designer, and master horticulturalist, Andrew Sloss, the 75-foot long Spring Garden Display had everything. Over the course of two months, the display involved 25,000 real plants and flowers, changed weekly, to ensure that all flowers appeared to be continually in bloom. In order to bloom early, they had to be ordered six months ahead and specially greenhouse-grown. The centerpiece is a “Wishing Tree” which, over the period of six weeks, filled up with over ten thousand origami flowers, with people’s wishes written on them.

National Award Proves It: Life Begins At Forty

The accolades started at the top and got better. Just shy of its Fortieth birthday, the Britannia Mine Museum underwent a 14.7-Million-Dollar metamorphosis, with its key environments built by 3DS. Now, the vast new complex has been given the highest honour by the Canadian Museums Association, with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Facility Development and Design category. It was a unanimous decision on the part of the awards committee, who went even further, to state that “the project was nationally significant and exceeded the current standard of practice”.

3DS has partnered with Designers, D. Jensen & Associates, on a number of projects. That firm has been well-known for decades in Vancouver’s exhibit industry and this has certainly been the highlight of our association with them. Working with Jensen requires an ability to meet exacting standards and to deliver components crafted in concert with a project’s many other players. We created exhibits for the administration building, as well as the design & fabrication of exhibits in the Beaty-Lundin Visitor Centre, the complex’s main facility. “If It’s Not Grown, It Must Be Mined” is the museum’s core message and it resonates throughout the immense new visitors’ complex. The museum has now become a vibrant, internationally recognized destination. “We’re looking to change people’s attitudes” says Project Director, Phil Aldrich.

3DS Builds Vancouver Canucks “Hall Of Heroes”. Heroes Approve.

It was a gala event for Vancouver’s hometown hockey team and 3DS built their three greatest players a monument the city will never forget. A stadium capacity crowd of fully-charged Hockey fans cheered the opening of the Vancouver Canucks Hall Of Heroes, December 11th. and its enshrinement of star players Trevor Linden, Stan Smyl and ex-team Captain, Markus Naslund, whose No. 19 jersey ceremoniously joined those of Linden and Smyl that morning in official retirement.

“It’s a really cool display”, Linden told the press. “To see the unique memorabilia that’s displayed here and some of the interactive items, really captures Stan and myself and obviously Markus”. An immense, seven-foot high-definition screen is the exhibit’s centrepiece. This main display is flanked by a series of smaller, fully interactive touchscreen displays, which allow visitors to explore the entire career of each player. Pucks from famous goals, helmets, trophies, equipment – it’s all there, with photos, artifacts and memorabilia dating right back to childhood. Even the X-Ray of Naslund’s broken leg is included.

The overall exhibit was created by Montréal’s Moment Factory, a lighting effects specialty house with clients as diverse as Microsoft, the Pan-Pacific “Sails Of Light” show and Nine Inch Nails. Design of the space itself went to Karo, one of Vancouver’s oldest & largest design firms, who brought the build to 3DS. Together, we were able to showcase numerous actual artifacts in a fully interactive exhibit environment. This included Trevor Linden’s entire locker & changing area – not a re-creation, but the genuine articles, all set up exactly as they were, for visitors to sit in and explore. The very floor itself is an impeccable recreation of an NHL ice rink. In true 3DS style, it’s absolutely indistinguishable, blade marks and all, from the real thing. A second phase of the exhibit is planned, but we can’t talk about that until the official announcement. Stay tuned.

Telephony, Photography & Community, All Together In One Intensely Stylish Retail Package

It’s a visionary move that combines both the strengths and markets of two seemingly unrelated industries. But, as the worlds of telephone communications and photography converge, Telus and Black’s Photography have joined forces to move that convergence to its next stage. The store is “CAYA” – “Come As You Are” – and the concept revolves around an array of products that flow naturally from a meeting of the two fields – products for creating, displaying and sharing personal photos and digital communications. Each company brings its individual expertise to the game and 3DS built the store.

To launch such a venture, CAYA targeted its inaugural location at Vancouver’s vibrant, diverse alternative community. These are the “bleeding-edge” early adopters, the socially & digitally connected, who Get It because they already live it. And these prime digital consumers bring another layer to the concept: being concentrated somewhat outside the mainstream and inside Vancouver’s West End, there is a definite “local community” aspect to this market’s interactions, a point CAYA didn’t miss. The designers, our brilliant friends at Waddell and Conder, made sure the entire store was readily convertible, with rolling display cabinets enabling it to turn instantly into a community event space.

Of course the decor had to match the rest of the customers’ stylish lives. In this slick, savvy space, ceilings soar to twenty feet, over all-designer store fixtures, glowing under rich, dramatic lighting. Spectacular display graphics bring context to everything, for a perfectly contained world. We completed this formidable package in only 4 weeks, start to finish, and went straight into a second location in Vancouver’s Gastown. Telus plans to make CAYA a nationwide chain.

“To Call These Places Cafeterias Simply Doesn’t Do Them Justice”

WHAT FABRICATION COMPANY wouldn’t want to see a project of theirs in Skiing Mag.com’s “Ten Best Ski-Resort Cafeterias”? Exactly. So, imagine how great it was for 3DS to learn that our projects had landed not one, but two spots in that Top Ten. The magazine’s emissaries ate at ski areas all over North America and selected the 10 best on-mountain restaurants in the ski industry. Two were 3DS projects.

First up is Colorado’s Moffat Market, in the Number Four slot. It’s named after the famous Moffat Tunnel, which has its West end right at the Winter Park Ski Resort. We have a soft spot for Moffat Market. It’s one of our earlier ski resort food courts and was one of our more conceptually ambitious undertakings, offering nothing short of a culinary railroad tour of the continental USA, all in the space of a single lunch stop. We had fun with it, as well as with the “Derailer Bar”, at the building’s other end, and Skiing Mag.com described themselves as “blown away”. Of course they’re talking mainly about the food, but we like to think the surroundings had something to do with the experience.

Next is The Canyons’ Red Pine Lodge, in Park City, Utah, at Number Seven. This is the one that was straining at the seams in a too-small, too-busy space and needed serious reorganizing. Our servery facelift brought things nicely into line and the facility now comfortably accommodates hundreds of hungry skiers, every day.

We feel privileged to keep company like this and it’s really brought home when Skiing Mag.com writes, “to call these places cafeterias simply doesn’t do them justice”. Naturally, our collective hat’s off to the Snow Park Restaurant in Deer Valley for taking the Number One position. And we’ve made a note to call them.

A Classic Steinway And Classic First Nations Art: 3DS Know-How Is The Link

3DS IS PART OF another historic first. A white Steinway Concert Grand Piano, the first ever to be transformed with Coast Salish artwork, is on exhibit during Vancouver’s hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Created by First Nations Artist, Jody Broomfield, the striking design involves Native imagery from deep in the Coast Salish tradition: the piano is painted with crests of thunderbird, salmon, ocean and human ancestors. Working largely behind the scenes, as a key part of the Artist’s process, 3DS was instrumental in creating the masterwork.

“We helped the Artist actualize it – to actually get his design onto the piano”, says Ross Ireland of 3DS. Far from being simply a matter of painting by hand on a flat surface, this was very much a precision job. “It was no small task. The level of craft had to be flawless, all the way through, since we only had one chance to get it right. Our paint masks were precision-cut by computer and had to meticulously follow Jody’s designs”.

The result is a genuine work of Art that is completely unique. The $500,000 piano was unveiled at the Chief Joe Mathias Recreation Centre, on the Squamish Nation Reserve in North Vancouver, BC. It will be sold after the 2010 Olympics, with partial proceeds going to the BC Lions Society For Children With Disabilities. Broomfield, who also created the Four Host First Nations Crest for the 2010 Olympics and has designed coins for the Royal Canadian Mint, said of the finished piano, “It has its own life and spirit, now”.

Photo by Ian Lindsay / PNG

State Of The Art Tech Lets This Award-Winning Video Wall Respond To Your Movements

3DS HAS BUILT one of the world’s largest interactive video walls. A key feature of Robson Square’s 2010 Commerce Centre, this 100-foot long Interactive digital corridor in the centre’s BC Showcase welcomes visitors from across the globe during Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

3DS was uniquely suited to build and install this interactive exhibit. The installation was designed by Switch Interactive and the project was a team effort of Lower Mainland companies. Switch Creative Director, Catherine Winckler says this is “It’s rare to be given the opportunity to work on an interactive installation of this scope and size”.

The BC Showcase covers 2,500 square feet of space and features BC wood, from floor to ceiling. The Interactive digital wall presents 17 animated stories, with motion effects that respond to viewers’ actions, which are continuously tracked by 45 overhead infrared sensors. Small Business Minister, Iain Black explains the project’s purpose in a nutshell: “It’s designed to show off our province to the world. This is going to make a huge impression on our Olympic guests – it’s one of the world’s largest interactive walls”.

Photo by Ian Smith / PNG

3DS HAS MOVED. For years, our work has been steadily growing bigger and more exciting, while our original premises barely grew at all. We’ve been producing world-class exhibitry and interiors, all while straining at the seams in our old place. Now, we’ve made the jump to the next level.

And it’s a great level: now in our own standalone building, we’ve effectively tripled the size of our operation, going from 7,000 to 18,000 sq. ft. We now have two full floors of offices, with Design & CAD on one and corporate on the other. We’re setting up, settling in and operating at full speed, all at the same time, and the biggest adjustment for everyone is getting used to a comfortable amount of elbow room.

But it’s our new shop that’s the real quantum leap. As big as a hockey rink, this facility was made to order for 3DS. Having everything on one level gives our production flow a major boost. We can accommodate fabrication of virtually any size in working comfort and efficiency. And when the job is done, we can drive a semi-truck right into the building, to load & ship.

We have clients all over the world but, if any of you want to stop by, we’ll proudly give you the tour.