Join us in congratulating our team of Award Winning Lighting Designers for having their wins at the local IES Ottawa Awards Gala this past month. We were awarded for: Le 9e, a restored art deco dining space above Montreal's historic Eaton Centre. The project won the "Best Overall" category for 2026. More details available in our portfolio! and Royal Historic... Read More

As the year draws to a close, we are reflecting on an another incredible year of lighting design with our team at Gabriel Mackinnon. We would like to thank all of our families, friends, clients, and colleagues for allowing us to continue doing work that we love! Here is a highlight reel of a few of our favourite projects from the past year: Some of year’s... Read More

We are excited to announce that we have received a national IES Illumination Award of Merit for our Royalmount Dining Hall project Le Fou Fou! The IES Illumination Awards program recognizes individuals for professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based on the individual merit of each entry. Judges are selected from a broad professional spectrum,... Read More

This has got to be our BIGGEST lighting design project to date. We were the lead lighting designers for the 3 million square foot American Dream shopping centre in East Rutherford NJ. This is the second largest shopping centre in America, and we put a LOT of lights into it! We have at long last added The American Dream shopping centre to our website - you can check it out... Read More

Project Overview: Home to Toronto's oldest congregation, the Cathedral Church of St James is a landmark in Toronto's St. Lawrence neighbourhood. Gabriel Mackinnon was invited to illuminate the cathedral to elevate its nocturnal appearance to match it's importance in the landscape. Located at the corner of Church Street and Jarvis, it was built in 1853, and is a fine... Read More

This Corporate Visitors Centre is new to our portfolio - a collaboration with Origin Studios and Kubik Maltbie, GMLD provided lighting design for a private exhibit space for our client, a family-owned company with a long history of innovation. The corporate history center is intended to celebrate the client's culture and their importance in the Canadian technology... Read More

New in the portfolio! Check out some photos of our exhibit lighting design project at the Halifax Citadel, that opened May 7, 2022 in beautiful Halifax Nova Scotia. A collaboration with our friends and neighbours at Origin Studios and Parks Canada, the 6500 sf exhibit is a dynamic combination of traditional and interactive story telling. The Halifax Citadel is an iconic... Read More

We at Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design are lucky to have illuminated some of the most important spaces in Canada. Luckier still - those projects sometimes win fancy awards! If you follow us on social media you may have seen us post award updates there. If you don't follow us, you should! We are gabrielmackinnon on Instagram. In any case - since we have recently updated... Read More

Well, that was interesting. We don't have to tell you that 2020 was a heck of a year. Our team went home in March... and we are mostly still there! Somehow though - our projects kept going, and we kept going, defending lighting for our clients. We at Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design are so grateful to still be doing what we love in the face of a global pandemic.So in lieu of... Read More

We are pleased to announce that the team at GMLD have been awarded a 2020 IES Illumination Award of Merit for our work on the Senate of Canada. It is a real honour to receive an IES Illumination Award of Merit - they are selected by a jury of professionals in the lighting design industry, and recognize meritorious contribution to lighting design. Many of the top... Read More

The state of our everyday life here in Ottawa has been changing rapidly with the onset of the novel coronavirus. Yesterday (March 15) Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health requested that all people of Ottawa increase their practices of social distancing, keep their children home from daycare and work from home if possible. In light of these and other developments, we have... Read More

We have (finally) added our Royal Alberta Museum project to our portfolio. Check it out here! We are proud of another successful collaboration with our talented friends at DIALOG in Edmonton. The project received LEED Gold Certification and opened to the public in 2018. Our scope was the entire front of house and exterior, as well as selected exhibits and office... Read More

If you know GMLD, you know that we are lucky to work with some of the country's leading property developers, architects, cultural institutions and government agencies. We are so proud of our awesome client list that we have added a whole page to our website. Please go and check it out! Our recent and current clients include: PROPERTY DEVELOPERS Cadillac Fairview... Read More

We at GMLD are so pleased to see our work picking up more awards this year! Congratulations to our talented friends at Moriyama and Teshima, IBI Group, and the rest of the project team. 2020 Contract Magazine Awards - Best Civic/Public Interior Project Canadian Interiors: Best of Canada Awards - Institutional Interior Design 2019 Best of Year Award Honoree - Civic... Read More

Exciting news, world! We received photos last week from our talented friends at Doublespace of our Bank of Canada Head Office Renewal project -and check them out: Bank of Canada Head Office - Lighting Design by Gabriel Mackinnon Man, those folks at Doublespace make us look good! GMLD's scope was the illumination of the typical office floorplates, with the Arthur... Read More

We have added another new parliamentary precinct project to our portfolio - this one many years in the making. This past fall, we completed the Government of Canada - Visitor's Welcome Centre with our esteemed colleagues (and neighbours) at Moriyama & Teshima. This project was completed as apart of the larger exercise of renovating the Centre Block and is the first... Read More

Gabriel Mackinnon was pleased this past week to learn that three of our projects have won 2019 Ottawa Urban Design Awards. The Senate of Canada building won an Award of Excellence in the Urban Infill Mid-High Rise category. Gabriel Mackinnon completed all interior lighting including Senate Chamber and committee rooms. DESIGN TEAM: Donald Schmitt; Diamond Schmitt... Read More

Another project that we at Gabriel Mackinnon are very proud of has been published in May issue of Canadian Architect. GMLD was responsible for the lighting design for the galleries at the newly renovated Ottawa Art Gallery. (The lighting of the very cool John Ruddy Cube and other public spaces was completed by our esteemed colleagues at Martin Conboy Lighting... Read More

We at Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design are extra pleased this past month to see three of our long term projects completed and featured in the March 2019 issue of Canadian Architect! We have been working on the architectural lighting design for these three projects in Ottawa's Parliamentary Precinct for (so very) many years and are thrilled to see them completed. The West... Read More

Gabriel Mackinnon has been proud to work with Metro Inc. developing retail lighting design standards and implementing them on over 100 of their grocery stores around Ontario over the past 5 years. As you may guess, this has kept us very busy, so just now are we getting to sharing some information about it! Gabriel Mackinnon developed a family of retail lighting design... Read More

Happy Holidays from GMLD! We at Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design would like to thank all of our clients, friends, family, and the whole lighting community for all your support in an incredible year. Our office will be closed from December 23 and we will return rested and ready for 2018 on January 2nd! We wish you and yours the happiest of holidays and we hope to work with... Read More

We are pleased to announce that the Burgoyne Bridge has received 3 CISC (Canadian Institute of Steel Construction) Awards of Excellence! Gabriel Mackinnon illuminated the Burgoyne Bridge,  a 7 span, 333 meter highway bridge across the Niagara River near St. Catherine's. The project was completed in 2016, with Parsons (formerly Delcan) and many of the same team members with... Read More

We extend our congratulations to our friends at GH+A for their win in the 2017 ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Awards. CF Rideau Centre Expansion and Renewal won a Maple Leaf Silver award in this past year's competition. GMLD is proud to have contributed lighting design to the entirety of the... Read More

New in our portfolio, images of our work on CF Rideau Centre, which completed an extensive renovation and expansion last year. GMLD was pleased to continue our work defending lighting for our long time client Cadillac Fairview, and even more so than usual as we were re-renovating a project after decades of use, and because CF Rideau Centre is in our proverbial backyard,... Read More

Gabriel Mackinnon was honoured this past week to learn that two of our projects have been awarded in the 2017 Ottawa Urban Design Awards. Congratulations to our client Cadillac Fairview, and to the project design teams on their excellent work. Gabriel Mackinnon has a long history of being involved in award winning design projects, and lighting is often a key part of taking... Read More

We are happy to announce the addition of a project to our portfolio, Les Promenades St Bruno shopping centre in St-Bruno Quebec. You can see some background on the project and lighting design on our Promenades St Bruno portfolio page. The project was beautifully photographed by Yves... Read More

GMLD was pleasantly surprised to see one of our projects gracing the front page of Philips Lighting today! Waterpark Place III is an office tower in downtown Toronto that GMLD completed in 2015, along with GH+A and... Read More

At long last, we have added some photos from our work on the Ismaili Centre to our portfolio! Gabriel Mackinnon is proud of another successful collaboration with Moriyama & Teshima. Excellent photos by Shai Gil.... Read More

Metro, one of our valued clients, is a key organizer to the Night to Nurture Gala, a special event which supports Kids Help Phone and the Grocery Foundation. Gabriel Mackinnon is proud to have supported this event in 2017. The Grocery Foundation’s Night to Nurture Gala is Canada’s largest fundraising dinner in North America, annually raising close to $2,000,000 to... Read More

Our principal Andrew Mackinnon was recently interviewed by the Globe and Mail for a piece that ran Tuesday January 10, 2017: Niagara Falls Seen in an All New Light. The article begins with Paul Boken at Mulvey + Banani, discussing their recent re-illumination of Niagara Falls. Andrew then discusses how LED technology is effecting change in the lighting industry, with a... Read More

GMLD was pleased to learn this week that one of our large projects many years in the making has now been certified LEED gold. Edmonton Federal Building and Centennial Plaza accumulated 43 points to achieve the status. We are proud to have been able to earn the Light Pollution Reduction Credit for this challenging site with significant elevation changes, while still... Read More

GMLD is honoured to have designed the lighting of the new Royal Alberta Museum, collaborating with a great team at Dialog in Edmonton. Lighting was carefully integrated into perforated wall panels, ceiling troughs and other architectural details to allow the innovative architectural forms and museum's artifacts to shine. (Photo via Dialog) A few project facts: Size:... Read More

Thanks for another excellent year! Wishing you and yours the merriest and brightest of holidays, from all of us at Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design. We hope to work (and play) with you in 2017! Public Service Announcement: We will be operating with limited staff from December 23rd through January 3rd. We hope you enjoy a little downtime too! We look forward to speaking... Read More

GMLD is proud to announce that four of our projects have won awards from the The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in 2016, after two wins in 2015.   The ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Awards Program is designed to honour our industry's brightest and best. The program brings information and insight to the entire industry on what it takes to achieve high... Read More

GMLD design principal Andrew Mackinnon was asked by the National Capital Commission to lead a night walk helping to seek public feedback their ongoing Capital Illumination Plan. The NCC operated 4 walks on May 25, 2016 through various routes in the core of Ottawa Gatineau. Andrew was also featured on CBC’s All In A Day radio program on Wednesday May 25th, speaking... Read More

Above is the team cavorting in front of the Ismaili Centre in Toronto – more photos of this project coming soon! We have been honoured to continue to work with all of our clients new and old this past year, and we look forward to delivering more incredible spaces with you in 2016. Best wishes for the happiest of holidays and a prosperous new year from Andrew,... Read More

GMLD is proud to announce that two of our projects have won awards from the The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).   The ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Awards Are Designed To Honour Our Industry’s Brightest And Best. The Awards Bring Information And Insight To The Entire Industry On What It Takes To Achieve High Levels Of Success. The Rideau Centre... Read More

GM Staff had some fun with light as a part of this year’s IALD Chase the Dark festivities. “Chase the Dark” is an annual lighting charette in which members of the IALD (International Association of Lighting Designers) create temporary lighting displays during a 24 hour period as the sun sets westward across the globe. The results are captured via social media... Read More

YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre officially opens to the public today. Gabriel Mackinnon worked with exhibit designers Reich and Petch and a large project team to provide lighting design for the 26,000 square foot facility, which cost $8 million to complete. Lighting plays a strong role in creating drama for the exhibit, including features like lasers,... Read More

We at GMLD are pleased to announce that another of our long term projects has won an Award of Excellence in the "Urban Infill Low Rise" category of the 2015 Ottawa Urban Design Awards. . GMLD provided full lighting design for front of house spaces and exterior of the the Sir John A. Macdonald Building, collaborating with great teams at NORR and MTBA. GMLD worked on... Read More

Now, in 2015, on the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights Monument in Ottawa, lights will finally shine on the monument thanks to a generous grant by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The lighting is dedicated to the memories of Melvin Charney who designed the monument, and Philip Gabriel (founder of Gabriel Mackinnon Lighting Design) who... Read More

Gabriel Mackinnon is honoured to have received an Award of Merit for the lighting design of Les Galeries d’Anjou in Montreal as a part of this year’s cohort of award winners announced in November 2014. The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is the recognized technical authority on illumination. IES Awards of Merit recognize professionalism, ingenuity, and... Read More

Following many years of being too busy working to update our website, we at Gabriel Mackinnon are excited to unveil our new presence on the web! Thanks to Steve St. Pierre and the fine folks at Maker for their assistance bringing us into the modern age. … Welcome to our new home on the webRead More... Read More

Philip Gabriel | 1939-2014 It is with great sadness that we announce that Phil Gabriel passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 9th, 2014. Diagnosed with lymphoma in April of 2013, and with neuroendocrine cancer the following November, Phil was determined to live fully and enthusiastically until very shortly before his death. He continued to design, educate and travel,... Read More

Phil Gabriel, 1939 - 2014 By Elizabeth Donoff   Lighting designer Phil Gabriel passed away on Aug. 9. A great advocate of the profession and of lighting education, his efforts on behalf of the lighting design community will be missed. Trained in architecture and interior design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the early 1960s, Gabriel started his... Read More

Philip Gabriel Interview with principal and founder of lighting design firm Gabriel Mackinnon. By Elizabeth Donoff   Having practiced architectural lighting design for more than 40 years, Philip Gabriel hasn’t just witnessed lighting’s evolution, he’s lived it. After working in New York for 10 years, he moved to Ottawa, Canada, and in 1974 established his firm,... Read More

We were honoured to be selected to participate in last year's Nuit Blanche celebrations. In case you're not familiar with Nuit Blanche, it's a a dusk-till-dawn celebration of contemporary art and local culture taking place in multiple venues across the Ottawa+Gatineau cityscape. For the year's theme of SuperNova, Gabriel Mackinnon developed an interactive light exhibit... Read More