Raw Design Inc., recently named the best new emerging architecture firm in the province by the Ontario Association of Architects, celebrated with a cocktail party Thursday that wasn’t for the faint of heart. Organizers staged the event, dubbed Raw Design’s Smackdown, inside the boxing club Florida Jacks, where a crowd of more than 200 employees, consultants, and local architects watched Canadian welterweight champion Victor Lupo compete in two bone-crunching brawls inside the ring.
Public relations consultant Kim Graham of Kim Graham & Associates, the firm that planned the event, suggested the venue and Raw Design’s directors, Roland Rom Colthoff and Richard Witt, agreed it was a good choice. “It fit with the theme of beating the recession blues, having some fun, and not taking ourselves too seriously,” Graham said. “It’s Raw Design’s edge that has put them ahead in such a short time.”
Organizers hung a roasted pig in place of a punching bag above the food station, and chef Michael Tong of Sublime Catering served hors d’oeuvres around the boxing ring. Given the recent outbreak of swine flu, Rom Colthoff said organizers considered canceling the pork appetizers but decided to stick with the original plan. “It’s not stopping the party,” he said. Alberto Navarro, international brand ambassador for Olmeca Tezón, gave tequila tutorials to guests.
A slideshow featured highlights of some of the projects the firm has completed since it was established in late 2007, including the design of the new flagship Mini showroom in Toronto’s east end, a new condominium in Burlington, and an industrial building conversion in Kitchener.
