A dynamic, inspirational and stylish new 20,000-ft Canadian headquarters, one of 67 locations globally for the leading independent PR firm in the world. The client wanted an energetic, collaborative space with a democratic feel and hip, cool culture where staff could interact and chill out.
CLIENT OBJECTIVES • A uniquely branded space with local character. • The mandate was to deliver an integrated hospitality and workplace concept with a hip vibe for employee interaction. • The client wanted to transition from closed offices to a flexible open plan to increase collaboration and democracy. • The space needed to be flexible to accommodate multiple uses such as town hall meetings, client receptions, staff training, daily lunches/breaks and down time.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS • The new space had to incorporate (i) a unique, welcoming Reception, (ii) an effective mix of open plan/ workstations/ breakouts/ meeting rooms, and (iii) flexible, multipurpose space.
DESIGN CHALLENGES • Unique Brand Statement: Creating a surprise loft-style look with boutique hotel Reception in a conventional office tower. This would uniquely brand the PR firm and offer clients a memorable first impression and an inviting, interesting client experience. • Inspiring Outdoor Space in Urban Downtown: Converting an unused gravel rooftop into an inspiring, private Patio in a windy office corridor. • Private Office to Open Plan: Transitioning to an effective open plan layout with distinct neighbourhoods that encourages collaboration. • Creative Space Manipulation: Using graphics powerfully to create energy, dynamism and scale while playing with perspective, defining functional neighbourhoods along central axes within the open plan concept, and emphasizing local branding.
SOLUTIONS • A world-renowned brand maker gets a hip branded space that speaks of their industry stature. It is a unique space that increases collaborative exchange, emphasizes democratic interaction, and inspires through innovative use of dramatic graphics and layout. Landscape graphics and meeting rooms named after Toronto subway stations provide local character. • A powerful sense of arrival in Reception for visitors, clients and employees with a boutique hotel look and feel and iconic communications pieces such as ground-breaking PR books, a typewriter, a rotary telephone, a Brownie Hawkeye camera. Also a fireplace, bright purple carpet for impact and classic furniture pieces by design luminaries such as Saarinen, Jacobsen and Warren Platter to establish a sense of quality and brand identity. • The outdoor Patio features unique branding and is a driver of hip, cool space. Lime green “Camouflage” leaf fabric from Finland with bright blue seating and playful fabric from New Zealand provides an urban forest theme, vibrant colour energy and human scale amongst surrounding towers. • Sleek contemporary workstations (each 8 ft wide) seat staff in teams of four with low glass dividers to maximize collaborative interaction in a highly efficient and effective open plan configuration. The right mix of open and closed breakout areas nearby allow for conference calls and meetings. Neighbourhoods defined by colour provide definition within the overall space. Staff often have working sessions in the Reception/ Cafe/ Patio areas, which drives creative spirit. • Spatial manipulation through varying the perspectives of the wall murals provides dynamic scale and interaction of depth, perspective and colour for energy and creativity. Interaction of photomurals between transparent glass box meeting rooms and adjacent corridors creates surprising third dimension and spatial interrelationships throughout, expanding the visual size of the meeting rooms. • Powerful graphic wall murals – Nelson French’s photographic landscapes of Toronto were super-scaled and washed with bright colours. These murals and coordinated seating provide energy, create interest and clearly define workstation neighbourhoods. • The space is architecturally defined by the strong axial framework of the Reception/ Cafe/ Patio complex and Workspace Corridors. Combined with the transparent glass boxes, this provides clear definition, perspective and flow to the open plan. The Reception/ Cafe/ Patio complex provides ideal multipurpose use for client functions, town halls and informal staff interaction.
