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Paul Boken

Assiniboine Park Leaf Conservatory

The Leaf and Canada’s Diversity Gardens is the final major phase of the redevelopment of Assiniboine Park. The Leaf is a unique garden attraction that will tell Canadian cultural stories through the world of plants, offering visitors a multi-seasonal experience over four distinct worlds or “biomes” in a visually stunning display of colour, texture, and fragrance.

The Leaf and Canada’s Diversity Gardens is the final major phase of the redevelopment of Assiniboine Park. The Leaf is a unique gar...
DTAH •

Bank Of Canada Plaza

The Bank of Canada has undergone a dramatic renewal of its office complex in the nation’s capital to modernize the interior and exterior spaces, ensure safety, comfort and maximize user-productivity. Led by Perkins + Will, with DTAH providing all landscape architecture services, a key design objective was the preservation of the architectural integrity and heritage value of the original surrounding buildings, which include the prominent head office at 234 Wellington Street, built in 1938 and Art...
Retail Insider •

Bloor-Yorkville BIA Unveils New ‘Urban Campfire Benches’ on the Mink Mile in Toronto [Photos]

By Larry Leung


There is something new on Bloor Street! Three years in the making, the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Association (BIA) unveils innovative public spaces dubbed the Urban Campfire Benches that promote art, business, and community in time for the holiday season. In a two-part series, we will take an in-depth look at these benches and discuss how design and innovation can drive engagement/sales.


We interviewed Briar de Lange, Executive Director of the BIA, on the concept’...

Cadillac Fairview Celebrates 160 Front Street West with Ribbon Cutting | UrbanToronto

On Monday January 29th, Cadillac Fairview celebrated major completion of 160 Front Street West, at 46 storeys, the latest major and unique presence on the Downtown Toronto skyline. The developer, a prominent name in Canadian commercial real estate, marked this significant milestone with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The ribbon cutting at the grand opening, image courtesy of Cadillac Fairview

Sal Iacono, President and CEO of Cadillac Fairview, alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Bharat Masran...
Viso •

Canada Life Beacon

Mother nature became the biggest challenge during the installation for this project. The design and manufacture of the outdoor fixtures were completed in the late fall and installation started in late November. As every Torontonian knows, the weather is not forgiving during this time of the year and as a result, VISO's installation team faced high winds, rain, snow and sub-zero temperatures. The team pushed through and was able to complete the project by the second week of December.
Alan McIntos...

Canadian Museum of Human Rights

The CMHR is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights and the first Canadian national museum to be built outside the National Capital Region. The Museum uses immersive multi-media technology and other innovative approaches to create an inspiring encounter with human rights unlike anything before.

The CMHR is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights and the first Canadian...

Deloitte Toronto

The ambition for Deloitte's Toronto HQ was to create a new destination where the organisation's talent from across the wider region could come together to connect and collaborate in a new central campus. The new HQ would offer a wide range of over 20 different worksettings, to suit all of the varying working roles within the firm. AFK assisted in helping Deloitte select an existing building within the firm's portfolio in downtown Toronto to create their new headquarters, as it had all of the rig...
Diamond Schmitt •

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre | Diamond Schmitt

The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre plays a key role in the renaissance of downtown St. Catharines, rejuvenating the main street with a dynamic new performing arts complex and adjacent arts school in a repurposed heritage building. The extraordinary partnership between the city and Brock University allowed for a performing arts facility much larger than most facilities for a community this size with Brock committing to use two of the four stages as class, rehearsal, and performance space dur...

Garrison Crossing Pedestrian and Cycle Bridges

Project Description
Conceived with the goal of revitalizing the area near the Toronto Waterfront and bringing communities closer together, these two bridges connect Stanley Park to Fort York across two railway corridors.
Pedelta worked as an exclusive design team leader and was also involved during construction, providing technical assistance until completion of the project in late 2019. Pedelta’s proposal was selected by Build Toronto in a RFP process. It included a unique design for the Garr...

Google, Waterloo

The new headquarters for Google’s Canadian engineering and development team features everything from micro kitchens offering snacks around the clock to a climbing wall. Unique work spaces and furnishings abound that reflect the science fiction and fantasy theme, including a blue library with a secret door and workspace – one particular book unlocks the secret room.

The new headquarters for Google’s Canadian engineering and development team features everything from micro kitchens offering snacks...
Lumenpulse •

Grand River Penman's Dam Portage

Built in 1918, the Penman's Dam is a landmark in the small tourist town of Paris, Ontario. Originally lit with Metal Halide floodlights, the barriered body of water sat in darkness for 40 years after some residents complained about light trespass.
To enliven the Dam at night, the County of Brant turned to TPL Lighting, who then reached out to Alan McIntosh, Senior Lighting Designer at Mulvey & Banani Lighting. "The county was looking for a dynamic colour changing LED system that would bring the...
Toronto Life •

Inside Shopify's new nine-floor office with plenty of craft beer and a rooftop terrace - Toronto Life

What: Shopify’s Second Toronto Office
Where: The King Portland Centre, 620 King St. W.
Size: 180,000 square feetCanada’s tech darling Shopify—the online platform used to sell everything online, from wallpaper to roasted almonds—has just moved into their new King Portland Centre digs. The quickly growing company (they currently have 700 employees in Toronto and have committed to doubling that number by 2022) has taken over the top nine floors of this 15-storey, Hariri Pontarini–designed tower. Sh...
SooToday.com •

It’s official: our downtown plaza is now Syriously awesome!

Listening to Brent Lamming talk at this week's parks and recreation advisory committee, you'd think city officials are mighty proud of our new $11.6-million downtown plaza.

"It's been well used," said Lamming, the Sault's director of community services.

"We're averaging approximately 40 to 50 skaters every single evening, using the facility as a passive activity."

Lamming pointed out that thousands of people crowded into the venue when programming started on Nov. 16.

Soo Greyhound fa...
LemayMichaud •

Méga Parc

After 30 years in operation, Méga Parc, an iconic amusement park in Québec City located at the heart of Les Galeries de la Capitale, underwent a complete renovation. The space, spread over four levels, was excavated to a depth of six feet to remove all traces of pyrite, as had been done for the rest of the mall two years earlier.
The park's 2.0 version embraces a concept inspired by Steampunk aesthetics, infusing the installations with a dreamlike atmosphere reminiscent of industrial-era equipme...

Mulvey & Banani Lighting

As one of the original co-founders, Paul played a pivotal role in shaping and growing MBL into a world-class lighting design firm. His expertise in design and process established MBL as an industry leader, setting the benchmark for Canadian lighting design excellence. Through innovative strategies and a commitment to quality, Paul helped MBL redefine what’s possible in the field, consistently delivering groundbreaking projects that inspire and elevate the built environment.

Now, as an advisor to We Light, Paul brings his refined vision and expertise to support the modern digital construction revolution. By leveraging advanced technology and a forward-thinking approach, he is helping We Light deliver services tailored to the evolving needs of the industry, setting a new standard for innovation and efficiency in lighting design.
To Do Canada •

New Jaipur Bridge Connecting Eau Claire to Prince’s Island Park Opens For Pedestrian Traffic

If you want to easily visit one of the best restaurants in Canada or attend festivals at Prince’s Island Park from Eau Claire, then we have great news!

The new bridge Jaipur Bridge connecting Eau Claire to Prince’s Island Park is now open to the public.

The original bridge built in 1968, named in honour of one of Calgary’s sister cities in India, closed in late 2019 when it was determined that the previous bridge was at the end of its lifespan.

The new $11.45 million, 6m wide and 60 m long pe...
The Globe and Mail •

Niagara Falls seen in an all new light

With the flick of a switch, Niagara Falls lights up at night three times brighter than at any time in history. Programmable colours can make the tumbling water look like a golden sunset, an ocean wave in multiple shades of blue or an intensely red lava flow.New technology and innovative thinking that solved a century’s worth of technical challenges brought the American and Canadian Falls to brilliant light last December, in time for the holiday season and new year.It’s a dramatic example of how...

Nightshift – Church Street Fence Project

Nightshift is an example of how public art can reflect a community and its surroundings to cultivate and support their cultural identity. The custom LED art installation is the result of a partnership with the City and the School Board to help strengthen the community values and create an elevated sense of awareness. The site of the project, a downtown Junior Public School, once flanked by a decrepit chain-linked fence, has now been transformed into a public art installation.
NORR | Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Int •

Ontario Court of Justice | Award-winning Architectural Design NORR

NORR, in partnership with Renzo Piano Building Workshop as part of the EllisDon Infrastructure Team, were selected to design the new Ontario Court of Justice – Toronto, the largest courthouse in Ontario. Situated in Toronto’s downtown core, the new state-of-the-art LEED® Gold facility amalgamates several existing facilities to become a key element of the downtown civic precinct.

The collaborative design process has produced a strong architectural vision for the site by maximizing exterior publi...
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A Lifelong passion for lighting and design process

Paul Boken is a seasoned lighting design professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. As an Advisor for We Light, Paul plays a pivotal role in guiding the company’s vision and strategy, offering his extensive knowledge in lighting design, technology integration, and project management to support their innovative initiatives. His expertise ensures We Light remains at the forefront of design and technology in the commercial and cultural lighting sectors.

Paul’s career highlights include co-founding and serving as Vice President of Mulvey and Banani's lighting design division in Toronto, where he spearheaded high-profile projects across architectural, entertainment, and hospitality sectors. Currently, as a co-founder of Sourcery, an advanced procurement technology platform, he continues to revolutionize how lighting professionals collaborate and access resources.

Paul’s deep understanding of dynamic lighting systems, energy efficiency, and user-centric design enables him to create immersive experiences that elevate environments. 

Dedicated to advancing the field, Paul actively integrates emerging technologies such as AI and BIM (Building Information Modeling) into the lighting design process, promoting efficiency and precision. A passionate advocate for education and community, he volunteers with organizations like Theatre by the Bay and The Sandbox Centre, mentoring new talent and fostering innovation in the arts.

Paul’s advisory role at We Light reflects his ongoing commitment to lighting excellence, offering strategic insight and technical expertise to shape transformative projects that redefine the possibilities of light.