A Subtle Yet Sculptural Eyewear Boutique in Toronto

The largest underground shopping complex in the world, Toronto’s 30-kilometre-long PATH system of pedestrian tunnels connects over 50 buildings in total — including five subway stations, a railway terminal, and North America’s busiest shopping mall. And yet, despite its many amenities, its primary function is to funnel commuters from point A to point B, especially during the winter months when it serves as a welcome reprieve from the blustering cold. Like most malls, the PATH has long suffered from a sense of placelessness, which is only amplified by its subterranean setting. At the base of First Canadian Place, a skyscraper in the city’s financial district, Karir Eyewear’s striking new flagship designed by local firm Drew Mandel Architects is an emphatic counterpoint to this architectural banality.