Gsmprjct°
Encyclopedia
gsmprjct° is a Montreal-based group specialized in the design and production of thematic installations and exhibitions mainly for museums. It includes four companies: gsmprjct°création, gsmprjct°intégration, gsmprjct°média et gsmprjct°technologie.
in Montreal. These projects attracted to the team the talents of Morley Smith, industrial designer in charge of the design of Montréal metro cars, and the Swiss graphic designer, Laurent Marquart. Together, they added exhibition design to the repertoire of this versatile company. The team is completed by a fourth associate, Roger Labastrou, a Swiss architect in charge of the interior design department.
Renamed Guillon, Smith, Marquart & Associés Ltée in 1978 as Guillon passed the majority of his shares to Smith and Marquart, then as GSM Design in 1982, the company offered services in visual communications, industrial design, interior design and exhibition design. Having secured his succession, Jacques Guillon retired in 1987.
After Guillon’s departure and separation with Morley Smith’s industrial design department, Laurent Marquart took up the presidency of the company starting in 1987 with his two associates, Kathleen Lanni in interior design and Yves Mayrand in exhibition design. The firm, operating at the time under the name GSM Design/Aménagement, communication visuelle et exposition inc., specialized itself and began to deal with an international clientele and competition.
The interior design department of GSM Design built its reputation on its adaptability to cultural realities, allowing it to work on a variety of projects ranging from a Jewish community centre (CJA Federation, 1997–2000), to the Swedish telecommunications company, Ericsson
Communications, or the National Bank of Dubaï.
Meanwhile, a series of successes in exhibition design, including the invention of the multimedia show for the Louis St-Laurent National Historic Site (1982) and Memories at the Musée de la civilisation de Québec (1988), an exhibition that redefined the visitor’s role as an actor rather than a mere spectator, allowed the exhibition design department of GSM to take flight. In parallel, the company reduced its services in visual communications, limiting itself only to the graphics necessary for their interior design and exhibition design projects.
Starting in 1992, GSM Design began to collaborate with TBY, a company specialized in the management of shows founded by engineer Pierre Royer and lighting designer Vincent Brie, working together to create a multimedia show for Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s museum of history and archaeology, in 1992. In 2001, Vincent Brie, Pierre Royer and Yves Mayrand created a new company, M2C1 (for «measure twice, cut once») whose mandate was to oversee the construction and installation of equipment for shows, exhibitions and fairs. In this way, these three companies collaborated on a variety of projects, including the design, manufacture and installation of the City Museum of Washington in 2003.
In order to offer their clients specialized turn-key services, GSM Design separated itself from the interior design department in 2002 to become GSM Design Expositions. In 2004, they also created Kleio Systems to develop new technologies related to the field of exhibitions. M2C1 and Kleio Systems were renamed GSM Build and GSM Products respectively, and GSM Media was created in 2005. TBY was subsequently fused to GSM Build. This new group of companies was then capable of offering turn-key solutions, including the design, management, construction, installation and maintenance of exhibitions.
In 2003, GSM had no projects in Montreal and 98% of its business was outside of Canada. After completing renovations on the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore, GSM established an office there and was offered the mandate of creating the new National Museum of Singapore
which opened its doors in 2006 and won them several prizes, including the Design Exchange Awards Silver Prize in the Interior Design - Temporary of Portable category in 2007 for the Living Galleries and the Graphex 2008 Prize of Excellence for the Singapore History Gallery
.
In 2005, GSM obtained a contract to design, install and maintain the observatory, interpretation centre and the multimedia experience inside the elevators of Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, inaugurated in Dubai
in January, 2010. In 2007, GSM established a representation in Dubai.
In honour of its 50th anniversary, the company renovated its image. Operating since 2008 under the name gsmprjct°, this group has more recently participated in the creation of Espace Montréal at the Universal Exposition in Shanghai that showcases the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex in Montreal as an example of sustainable urban development.
History
gsmprjct° can be traced back to Jacques Guillon Designers, Inc., the first multidisciplinary design office in Canada, founded by architect Jacques Guillon in 1958. The firm participated in numerous landmark projects in various fields, including the signage and metro cars for Montréal’s metro system and several thematic pavilions at Expo 67Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in Montreal. These projects attracted to the team the talents of Morley Smith, industrial designer in charge of the design of Montréal metro cars, and the Swiss graphic designer, Laurent Marquart. Together, they added exhibition design to the repertoire of this versatile company. The team is completed by a fourth associate, Roger Labastrou, a Swiss architect in charge of the interior design department.
Renamed Guillon, Smith, Marquart & Associés Ltée in 1978 as Guillon passed the majority of his shares to Smith and Marquart, then as GSM Design in 1982, the company offered services in visual communications, industrial design, interior design and exhibition design. Having secured his succession, Jacques Guillon retired in 1987.
After Guillon’s departure and separation with Morley Smith’s industrial design department, Laurent Marquart took up the presidency of the company starting in 1987 with his two associates, Kathleen Lanni in interior design and Yves Mayrand in exhibition design. The firm, operating at the time under the name GSM Design/Aménagement, communication visuelle et exposition inc., specialized itself and began to deal with an international clientele and competition.
The interior design department of GSM Design built its reputation on its adaptability to cultural realities, allowing it to work on a variety of projects ranging from a Jewish community centre (CJA Federation, 1997–2000), to the Swedish telecommunications company, Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
Communications, or the National Bank of Dubaï.
Meanwhile, a series of successes in exhibition design, including the invention of the multimedia show for the Louis St-Laurent National Historic Site (1982) and Memories at the Musée de la civilisation de Québec (1988), an exhibition that redefined the visitor’s role as an actor rather than a mere spectator, allowed the exhibition design department of GSM to take flight. In parallel, the company reduced its services in visual communications, limiting itself only to the graphics necessary for their interior design and exhibition design projects.
Starting in 1992, GSM Design began to collaborate with TBY, a company specialized in the management of shows founded by engineer Pierre Royer and lighting designer Vincent Brie, working together to create a multimedia show for Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s museum of history and archaeology, in 1992. In 2001, Vincent Brie, Pierre Royer and Yves Mayrand created a new company, M2C1 (for «measure twice, cut once») whose mandate was to oversee the construction and installation of equipment for shows, exhibitions and fairs. In this way, these three companies collaborated on a variety of projects, including the design, manufacture and installation of the City Museum of Washington in 2003.
In order to offer their clients specialized turn-key services, GSM Design separated itself from the interior design department in 2002 to become GSM Design Expositions. In 2004, they also created Kleio Systems to develop new technologies related to the field of exhibitions. M2C1 and Kleio Systems were renamed GSM Build and GSM Products respectively, and GSM Media was created in 2005. TBY was subsequently fused to GSM Build. This new group of companies was then capable of offering turn-key solutions, including the design, management, construction, installation and maintenance of exhibitions.
In 2003, GSM had no projects in Montreal and 98% of its business was outside of Canada. After completing renovations on the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore, GSM established an office there and was offered the mandate of creating the new National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore
The National Museum of Singapore is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution...
which opened its doors in 2006 and won them several prizes, including the Design Exchange Awards Silver Prize in the Interior Design - Temporary of Portable category in 2007 for the Living Galleries and the Graphex 2008 Prize of Excellence for the Singapore History Gallery
Singapore History Gallery
The Singapore History Gallery is 2800 metre square gallery located whithin the vicinity of the National Museum of Singapore.The gallery adopts a story-telling approach unveiling different perspectives through tales of the past.-History:...
.
In 2005, GSM obtained a contract to design, install and maintain the observatory, interpretation centre and the multimedia experience inside the elevators of Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, inaugurated in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
in January, 2010. In 2007, GSM established a representation in Dubai.
In honour of its 50th anniversary, the company renovated its image. Operating since 2008 under the name gsmprjct°, this group has more recently participated in the creation of Espace Montréal at the Universal Exposition in Shanghai that showcases the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex in Montreal as an example of sustainable urban development.
Industrial Design
- Montreal Metro Cars, 1962
- Taxi GSM, 1975
- LRC Train, Transport Canada, 1977
- «Simms System 2000» Paint roller, T.S. Simms & Co., Ltd., 1979
- «Versatile 1150» Tractor, Versatile Farm Equipment, 1978
Visual Communications
- Signage for the Montreal Metro, 1962
- Mirabel Airport, 1974
- Quebec Provincial Parks Signage, Ministère du Tourisme du Québec, 1979
- Maison du Citoyen, Hull, 1984
- Annual report, Ciment St-Laurent, 1987
- Nordair branding, 1984
- Signage for the Sheraton Centre, 1982–1983
Interior Design
- Meridien Hotels, Houston, San Francisco, Mexico, Kuweit, 1985
- National Bank of Dubaï, United Arab Emirates, 1992–1998
- Bibliothèque nationale du Québec, Montréal, 1995–1996
- CJA Federation, Montreal, 1997–2000
- du Dubaï Headquarters, Dubaï, United Arab Emirates, 2007
Exhibitions
- Man and Life Thematic Pavilion, Expo '67, Montreal, 1967
- Belgian Pavilion, Expo '67, Montreal, 1967
- Louis St-Laurent National Historic Site, Compton, Canada, 1982
- Canadian Pavilion, Expo '86, Vancouver, Canada, 1986
- Memories, Musée de la civilisation, Québec, Canada, 1988
- Montreal, a Crossroads of Culture and Trade, Pointe-à-Callière Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History, Canada, 1992
- Oceania Virtual Reality Pavilion, Expo '98Expo '98Expo '98 was an official specialised World's Fair held in Lisbon, Portugal from Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, September 30, 1998. The theme of the fair was "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future," chosen in part to commemorate 500 years of Portuguese discoveries...
, Lisbon, Portugal, 1998 - Montreal, Tales of a City, Pointe-à-Callière Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History, Canada, 2000
- Montreal Science CentreMontreal Science CentreThe Montreal Science Centre is a science museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the King Edward Pier in the Old Port of Montreal. Established in 2000 and originally known as the iSci Centre, the museum changed its name to the Montreal Science Centre in 2002. The museum is managed by...
(iSci), Old Port of Montreal, Canada, 2000 - The Mysterious Bog People, Travelling Exhibition, 2002
- The Adventure of Electricity, Electropolis: Museum of Electrical Energy in Mulhouse, France, 2001–2003
- City Museum of Washington, Washington D.C., USA, 2003
- Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, 2003
- National Museum of SingaporeNational Museum of SingaporeThe National Museum of Singapore is a national museum in Singapore and the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution...
, Singapore, 2006 - Musée historique de la ville de Strasbourg, France, 2007
- Passagers/Passengers, Musée de la civilisation, Québec, Canada, 2008
Recent Projects
- At the Top, Burj Khalifa, Dubaï, United Arab Emirates, 2009
- Being Irish O’Quebec, McCord Museum of Canadian History, Montreal, 2009
- Aqua, Travelling Exhibition, One Drop FoundationOne Drop FoundationThe ONE DROP Foundation—an initiative of Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil®—is a non-governmental organization established on October 29, 2007, in Montreal, Canada...
, Montreal, 2009 - Espace Montréal, Expo 2010Expo 2010Expo 2010, officially Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992...
, Shanghai, China, 2010