At 85 Duke Street West in Kitchener, a corridor and lobby refurbishment became more than a routine capital improvement. It became a statement about values, identity, and the daily experience of coming home.

For Armourco Solutions, the project stood apart from its regular condominium refurbishment work because the board brought a value proposition focused not only on how the building would look, but how it would feel to the people who live there.

Amid heightened Canada-U.S. trade tensions, the board made a principled decision to avoid American material content wherever possible. Its vision also went beyond procurement: the building should carry a distinctly Canadian identity without relying on predictable references—archival neighbourhood photos, construction images, maple leaves, or decorative Canadiana.

The question became: how could a condominium refurbishment express something more meaningful—something grounded in the history and landscape of the area?

The answer emerged through art.

The idea of Indigenous artwork arose naturally as the board and project team explored what a truly Canadian expression could look like. Brought forward by board members, the direction developed collaboratively around a goal—to reflect Canada in a way that felt authentic, local, and lasting.

The search began locally. Armourco senior project manager Kevin Dutcher reached out to Stacey Brohman-Way, a family member and secondary Visual Arts and English teacher at St. David CSS with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. Her teaching includes a Grade 11 course on contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices. Her guidance helped identify local artists. After portfolio review and shortlisting, the team selected local Indigenous artist Luke Swinson.

Swinson’s selection turned the board’s intent into a fully developed artistic concept. Drawing on his relationship with the Grand River and surrounding landscape, he created works specifically for the building, with each floor receiving its own piece. Rather than standalone images, the result is a connected experience unfolding throughout the property.

Instead of treating elevator lobby feature walls as conventional design moments, the team reimagined them as storytelling opportunities. Each floor had a prominent wall opposite the elevators—one of the building’s most consistent daily touchpoints. These became integrated gallery moments, with dark millwork, careful lighting, and long horizontal artwork panels set into the architecture.

For Swinson, the opportunity was significant both in scale and intent. “It’s not often that I’m asked to develop such a large series of artworks,” he said, describing the commission as “an amazing and rewarding challenge.”

His work drew deeply from place. The series connects local wildlife, plant life, water, movement, and colour into a story shaped by the Grand River and surrounding landscape—swans and wild rice, turtles and bullrushes, beavers and cedar, blue jays and blueberries. Each floor carries its own pairing, while the overall installation forms a connected narrative. Swinson spoke of his personal connection to the Grand River.

“I hope these pieces honour the Grand River,” Swinson said, “and give others a reminder that we have beauty all around us.”

That daily relationship with the artwork became one of the project’s most important aspects. Unlike a gallery or single lobby feature, these pieces are part of residents’ everyday experience—leaving for work, returning home, visiting neighbours, or welcoming guests. The art is not separate from the building’s function, it is woven into it.

When installation began on May 4, the reaction was immediate. As the first pieces were installed, owners passing by were asked for their impressions. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with residents responding both to the artwork’s appearance and to the sense that something distinctive and meaningful was being added to their home.

The CBC was also on site to interview Swinson and Dutcher and film the installation process, along with several completed pieces. The broadcast timing was not yet confirmed, but the interest speaks to how distinctive this type of refurbishment can be when art, community, and construction come together thoughtfully.

In most refurbishment projects, value is measured through durability, maintenance, and lifecycle performance. At 85 Duke Street West, those fundamentals were respected, but the board also considered something less commonly measured and deeply felt—the emotional value of a space, the kind of value that gives a building character, memory, and soul.

Original artwork rooted in place and community can change how residents feel when they step off the elevator, and the cost of incorporating it was comparable to that of many conventional feature-wall treatments.

Christina Brown, Supervising Property Manager with Sanderson Management, saw that clearly. Her first impression was that the design direction “showed a clear intention to go beyond a conventional treatment like tile or accent wallpaper and instead create something with a deeper meaning and longevity.” She also noted that bringing in a local artist “grounds the piece in the community and adds authenticity.”

The board’s view was equally direct. As one director put it, “A building without a story is like food without taste. We live here. Of course, we should do this.”

There is also a meaningful thread of reconciliation in the project. Swinson, a young Anishinaabe artist who grew up in Kitchener, reflected on how rare it was for him to see Indigenous artistic representation in the community. Projects like this, he said, help “normalize the sharing of our art and culture” while inspiring and educating younger generations.

At 85 Duke Street West, that representation is not hidden away or reserved for a special occasion. It is part of daily life.

Ultimately, the project offers a broader lesson for condominium boards, managers, and refurbishment teams. Capital improvements can do more than replace worn finishes or modernize common areas. With the right intention, they can express values, support local voices, strengthen community identity, and elevate the lived experience of a building.

The board of directors did not simply choose a different finish. They chose to make the building feel more connected to its community, its landscape, and the people who come home to it every day. <

John Margaritis is Vice President of Sales and Estimating at ArmourCo.

www.armourco.condos

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