Westbank’s longstanding relationship with Mr. Paolo Fazioli began with perhaps our best-known Alberni Street project, the Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. The Fazioli piano was installed there a decade ago and today we have commissioned almost a dozen additional Fazioli pianos.
The Piano is the instrument of a larger idea that has woven its way through our practice. It is both a demonstration of the passion that we put into our buildings and a gift to the architects and designers of our projects, in the form of a unique design exercise. Designing a Fazioli is an opportunity for architects to exercise their creative expression in a completely different, yet parallel medium. In some respects, it is similar to the BMW Art Car program that started in 1975 with Alexander Calder and ended in 2010 with Jeff Koons. It was this successful integration of art and industrial design that inspired the Westbank piano project.
In the Westbank collaboration with Fazioli, the architect is challenged to design a piano that responds to the building typology itself. This challenge is interesting for both the designers and ourselves and with each piano design we become a little more adventurous.
The Cloud Piano by OSO at Deloitte Summit
The Butterfly by Revery Architecture
TELUS Garden by Henriquez Partners Architects
Vancouver House by Bjarke Ingels Group
Alberni by Kengo Kuma & Associates
King Toronto by Bjarke Ingels Group
Paolo Fazioli founded Fazioli Pianofort in 1979 with the goal of making the finest pianos in the world. He faced a daunting task, competing against industry giants that had been producing pianos for more than a century. Despite the odds, his practice gained recognition in the mid-1980’s when some of the world’s greatest classical and jazz pianists began favouring Fazioli’s superior instruments over traditional brands. A piano in ultra-high definition, with unmatched clarity and dynamic range, the instrument remains to this day unlike anything available in the world.
Whereas some piano factories make 100 pianos a day, engineer and piano Paolo Fazioli oversees a team of 40 craftsmen and artisans that produces 150 pianos a year, just 60 kilometres north of Venice. Working as an atelier gives them greater flexibility to produce unique custom pianos. Founder Paolo Fazioli personally tests every ingle piano that leaves the factory.
Westbank’s longstanding relationship with Mr. Paolo Fazioli began with perhaps our best-known Alberni Street project, the Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. The Fazioli piano was installed there a decade ago and today we have commissioned almost a dozen additional Fazioli pianos.
The Piano is the instrument of a larger idea that has woven its way through our practice. It is both a demonstration of the passion that we put into our buildings and a gift to the architects and designers of our projects, in the form of a unique design exercise. Designing a Fazioli is an opportunity for architects to exercise their creative expression in a completely different, yet parallel medium. In some respects, it is similar to the BMW Art Car program that started in 1975 with Alexander Calder and ended in 2010 with Jeff Koons. It was this successful integration of art and industrial design that inspired the Westbank piano project.
In the Westbank collaboration with Fazioli, the architect is challenged to design a piano that responds to the building typology itself. This challenge is interesting for both the designers and ourselves and with each piano design we become a little more adventurous.
VIP tickets include reserved front row seating with complimentary food and beverage.
Access to all concerts with reserved front row seating and a complimentary drink and snack provided by the Oakridge x Pac Rim Patio food truck operated by Fairmont Pacific Rim.
Register for a 75-minute masterclass to learn how to master your craft alongside expert musicians from around the world. Please note space is limited to three students per class.
Space will be limited to only 3 students per teacher, for advanced students only. All masterclasses will be hosted at the Oakridge Park Gallery.