The G7 Summit is a big deal, and needed a big deal of a conference table. The Canadian government, this year's host, turned to Toronto-based furniture brand Teknion to create the flagship table for the conference's primary Outreach room.

Initial Table Concept

Commissioned by the Canadian government, the initial design for a table featured a large single base and a Starburst veneer pattern. The base was later changed from one large base to two, which significantly improved the aesthetic.

Reconfigurable Table Design

The table was developed to have eight sections, each with a supporting top and base, allowing for adjustable sizing. The table also includes a removable platform on top, with fully finished veneer underneath and matched veneer data ports.

Table's Purpose, Reconfigurability and Location

While the reconfigurable table was designed for the Outreach room at the G7 summit, the ask was for it to be able to be broken down into a few smaller sizes and relocated to Ottawa for Prime Minister Mark Carney's use outside of the summit. Teknion went beyond the ask and gave many more possible variations due to the 8 sections. The two curved end pieces can also be detached from the segments and made into a much smaller circular table.

Veneer Sourcing Challenge

Finding a Canadian oak log for the veneer proved difficult, as maple is more common, but the client, the Summit Management Team, desired oak for its character, origin, and beauty.

Red Oak is much more common in Canada, and traditionally, for projects like this, Teknion's Solutions team prefers to use veneer sourced from one tree. In this instance, due to the size of the table, the team used 2 logs of the Canadian White Oak they were able to source from Southwestern Ontario in the Algonquin Park region, which they were able to stain and match seamlessly with careful planning.

Starburst Veneer Process

The creation of the Starburst veneer pattern involved careful layout and pressing, an intricate and risky process with high potential for mistakes during pressing.

Oak Stitching Quality

The finishing shop achieved exceptional stitching on the oak veneer, avoiding the need for significant fill, which was a concern given the challenging nature of working with oak in a Starburst pattern.

Electrical Accessibility Design

The table was intentionally designed without pre-installed power and data to accommodate current and future technologies, emphasizing the universal and agnostic nature of the table's infrastructure.

Power Data Port Design

The power and data ports were designed with matched veneer and a lift-off mechanism for access, maintaining the table's aesthetic appeal in both configurations with and without the top plinth.

Plinth Functionality

The platform or plinth on top of the table is primarily an aesthetic option to conceal cords from technology, rather than housing any tech itself in anticipation of a variety of tech options potentially being used within the table for the summit and after.

"Magic Wand" Story

The Summit Management Team had a literal 'magic wand' and swore by it as a symbol providing them good luck for the different elements of the project they came across. They credited some of the magic of the wand to finding the hard-to-come-by Canadian log for the table, leading to a shop member making a similar wand for Susan Hahn, General Manager of the Teknion Solutions team.

Congratulations to Teknion. That's one hell of a commission!