Lakeview Millwork Taking its Bow

It’s been five years since ownership changed hands at Lakeview Millwork. And to celebrate this early milestone, company directors Dhwani Patel and Tarak Prajapati are taking an encore look at the project that helped put their team in the Canadian woodworking spotlight.

“The Burlington Performing Art Centre renovations was a very special project for us,” says Dhwani Patel, Director with the Mississauga-based company. “It was a million-dollar job, and it was important to us both because of its size and the quality of work we were able to provide.”

That work included providing over 14,000 square feet of wood panelling for the Centre’s new floors, ceilings, and walls. Specifically, Lakeview used maple veneer with MDF core and solid maple wood to craft the Centre’s modern look and, most notably, its curvaceous ceiling.

“Not only was the scale of this project huge, but the overall design, including the wave effect of the ceiling, was very unique,” adds Tarak Prajapati, Director with the company, adding, “And then, being able to use maple wood with a stain finish was a nice touch because it added that symbol of Canada.”

Looking back, Prajapati says installing the ceiling panels with aircraft suspension cables proved to be the most challenging aspect of the job. Not only did it require matching exact specifications, but it meant putting safety centre stage.

Burlington Performing Art Centre: A Symbol of Success

“All of those panels are around 30 feet high, and we needed to make sure they were fastened and secured the right way, and according to AWMAC [Architectural Woodwork Manufacturing Association of Canada] standards,” says Patel. “The most important part was making sure not a single panel would come out because that would pose a very big safety hazard for the audience.”

It was a challenging befitting of Lakeview Millwork’s talents. And five years later, the team looks back on the project with a sense of pride.

“The general contractor, Bird Construction, was very happy with the quality of our work and that we finished in a timely and safe manner, and so are we,” says Prajapati.

Push into Hospitality

Lakeview Millwork has engaged in a number of showcase projects since its time on the Burlington Performing Arts Centre stage. In recent years, the company has made a push into the commercial and hospitality space, providing millwork for the University of Waterloo, Yorkdale Mall, several of Canada’s major banks, childcare centres, golf clubs, and hotels across North America.

“19 percent of materials used in the building contain recycled content, and 50 percent of all wood-based materials used were FSC certified. The structure also has a comprehensive, automated system programmed to run the building only while occupied and operational, all of which help the center achieve a 35 percent reduction in energy consumption relative to the Model National Energy Code for Buildings” – gb&d Magazine

With business on the rise, the team is eager to branch out even further into retail and residential projects and build upon its capacity through the purchase of new millwork technologies and systems.

“We want to accommodate all these different sectors, so that means bringing in more equipment, improving our shop, and becoming more productive so that we can get a competitive advantage,” adds Patel.

With big ambitions and a budding portfolio, it’s safe to say Lakeview’s star is on the rise.