SGH was retained by this forward-thinking Client, Puma, for interior design services of their space in Toronto, Ontario. Taking the inspiration from Puma’s “Forever Faster” brand strategy, the goal for the space was to support the need to be fast in reacting to trends and executing innovative ideas.

This brand message is communicated by every architectural product selection – from finish to branding. The look and feel of the space speaks to the raw, gritty and dynamic culture of the Puma brand.

The showroom’s location close to Pearson International airport supports ease and speed of moving product and people. It’s edgy colour, lighting and detailing express the brand’s confident personality and tempo: a bold red stripe on the floor; linear fixtures representing the ribs of the iconic cat.

The symmetrical arrangement of the lighting with the carpet has a kinetic, energized feeling. The bold stripe connects the elements of the space emphasizes the linear planning. The path to the centrally located glass encased showroom is clad with large changeable graphics that express the Puma’s attitude and brand values.

This timeless space is contributing to the Canadian success of an iconic brand, inspiring sales, and customer loyalty.

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It was critical that SGH design a space that was a functional and efficient office space for Ivanhoe Cambridge that would reflect their company values and goals. Inspired by their new 7245 sq.ft. office in this modern industrial building, concrete, wood and dark metals were used throughout the space in combination with transparent glass which optimized the natural light and gave sightlines to the beautiful mountain and city views to the north.

Pops of blue, green, and orange are featured strategically throughout the office creating bold and fun accents that give the space a sophisticated, yet comforting feel. The space has elegant contrast with bright white counters and walls and dark metals, and lighting features throughout. These elements all work towards Ivanhoe Cambridge’s goal of a sophisticated atmosphere and leave you feeling inspired and ready to thrive in the workplace.

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After extensive evaluation with the Client considering various locations it was determined this Financial Client would move to a rural/suburban environment in the Nanaimo North Town Center Mall. This existing shopping mall is in the process of “de-malling” to revitalize and bring together both commercial and retail space in a hybrid environment.  This client selected two of the new commercial retail units (CRU) being constructed in a setting surrounded by water, forest and beautiful natural landscapes. The sacrifice, a less accessible space to the variety of social amenities offered by their existing downtown location.

The space needed to accommodate two very different user groups. The first being a louder and more energized call centre, the second a quieter, heads down, focused finance and accounting group.  Both needed lots of collaborative space with a variety of closed and open options, easily accessible and flexible.

The two user groups are buffered from each other through the creation of “collaboration avenues” which are defined by a change in flooring and a dropped wood slat ceiling feature to create refuge and visual breaks in between the open spaces. Fresh accent colours of spring green and ocean blues infuse a calming atmosphere in this open, bright and modern space. Adding three new skylights and coordinating carefully with mechanical requirements bring in additional natural light and air that fills the whole space. Large walls provide the introduction of art and graphics selected specifically to represent Nanaimo, BC.

The overall floor layout is free-flowing and organic with centralized collaboration avenues which house focus and meeting spaces. Amenities include phone booths, perch points, pause areas, training and coaching rooms set up for privacy, focus or spontaneous interactions depending on the need. These inviting spaces are open, engaging and transparent allowing light to filter through panes of glass. The curved and soft edges of the 140 workstations create an approachable friendliness that contrasts nicely against the rectangular rigid architecture allowing for a variety of ways to circulate through the space. This casual approach encourages people to interact and socialize through spontaneous happy encounters that aspire to make the workday a welcoming experience which, in the long run, helps to attract and retain great talent.

What made this space location really sing is the introduction of the employee café. It is a bright and inviting destination spot where people can gather, dine, meet and socialize. This makes up for the lack of access to eating areas close by and fosters a real community feeling. Beautiful artwork created by local artists celebrate this unique and rich indigenous community. Implementing graphics and common meeting areas such as the employee café were critical for this project’s success. Soft furniture settings and booth like seating provide a variety of uses that entice people to drop in throughout the day yet lightweight enough to allow flexibility in accommodating large town hall gatherings. Skylights were integrated to help with access to natural light, this kept the windows open and did not block light that was able to engulf the space throughout.

Through active listening the designer was able to really understand the workplace strategy, goals and significant changes required for this future office to be highly successful now and into the future. The proportion of flexible work areas to shared meeting and focused areas was clearly defined as part of the discovery process early on. In the end the open, expansive industrial space achieved this most successfully as was vetted out in the search for the right location.

The open organic workspaces are agile, flexible and spacious. Flanked by focus rooms, meeting areas, and closed areas there is a break from loud space to quiet refuge space. The approach to colours and texture are soft, natural and timeless utilizing the clean modern lines of the building space. Furniture has rounded edges and breaks from the tradition grid pattern that allow the space to have a spontaneous energy. High, large walls proudly display local artwork that define spaces, provides orientation and infuse local humour and culture.

 Client Statement

The new offices were a huge success and well received by our staff. SGH Design Partner approach to programming, data-gathering and workplace strategies allowed the SGH team to understand our goals and objectives for both short and long term.

SGH did an excellent job at integrating our standards for workplace while utilizing their creative skills to integrate a workplace that reflected the local Nanaimo culture, look and feel. The results were realized immediately. Design elements such as access to natural light for all staff, open and generous circulation space, multiple collaboration spaces, etc., have all contributed to the new design of our work environment to help improve staff morale and staff retention.

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At SGH we thought it would be fun to ask our designers what they see for the future of workplace. As a full-service design company, you can imagine we are a creative group. We wanted our design team to think as outside of the box as they wanted, without limitations, and here are some of their thoughts on how, the future of workplace could look.

“We could go full extreme to virtual reality whereby we don’t have to leave where we live for work of any kind. Houses are built or retrofit with VR pods that you enter for the workday. Working hours become online and life hours become offline. A hard separation between work/life is maintained. A return to the 9-5 workday.”

“I think it may push companies to work more remotely. As that has already been a pretty big trend before all of this happened, I think this might just be an extra push”

“The future office will no longer be the conventional office that we have been designing in the past. Companies will need to look internally into what role the physical office means to their company.”

“For some, the majority of workers will remain working within the space, however common spaces and practices will change to accommodate physical distancing and smaller groups. This could potentially be linked to law offices and some formal financial institutions.”

“For others the office will become a resource centre, collaboration hub, and a space for workers to connect to the company they work for. A few will work within the office, the remainder working from home and coming into the office to collect mail, photocopy, fix IT issues and connect with other company members in social spaces designed to keep accommodate social distancing.”

“More hoteling stations – Many companies may be realizing how effectively work from home can be. With that, they may allow employees more remote working privileges even when it’s safe to return to work.”

“Integrating technology – Video calls will continue to be the way of the future, especially with limited travel. Integrating video calling capabilities into most meeting areas could become key.”

“I see it more like a “work oasis”, where people go to find: Inspiration, Innovation, High tech tools, find refuge (reverse from being at home)”

The new workplace includes people. It fosters friendlier and more flexible work settings which in turn cultivates business success.

What are some of your ideas for the future of workplace?

Resources:

The Important Difference Between Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality,Forbes,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/07/19/the-important-difference-between-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-and-mixed-reality/?sh=5b066b8835d3 , Date Accessed July 2020

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POWER OF COLOUR

Why it matters in workplace design.

There is no doubting the strong emotional connection we as humans carry with colour. Colour has the ability to make us feel, conjure the simplest of memories or bring forth a fleet of emotion. It has the power to boost your mood, and when used properly in a workplace it can increase productivity among those using the space. For example, take a small closed in office, by implementing strategic colour, effectively throughout the space you are able to breathe life to that space. This, in turn has the capability to give the elution of a more open and welcoming office. With careful selection of colour the number of harmful or negative effects is reduced. These common effects include: glare, poor lighting and visibility, low motivation and low productivity. Colour can transform these negatives into positives, and boost energy levels in members of staff, increase concentration, and promote socialization.

FOCUS.

Implementing a point of connection to ground or creating a focal point is vital when strategically designing an office space. Large open spaces can occasionally feel daunting, especially when keeping a neutral palette, which is why this focal area is so important. A vibrant focus utilizing colour creates a strong statement in a space. Many companies will use these points as an opportunity to connect with their consumer. Describing their brand, showcasing their product, even their company values. These elements use a careful selection of colours to ensure the companies brands is prominent.

HIGHLIGHT.

Deliberately highlighting workspaces in contrasting color schemes is another useful design tool to create wayfinding in large office environments. Small visible meeting enclaves, hallways and corridors are just a few great examples.

TRANQUILITY.

Certain colors have a natural connotation: an earthy green, for example, is a connection to the ground and encourages a calming sensation within its surroundings. It evokes a connection to nature. Green is a colour frequently used in break out areas, or spaces where employees can ‘escape’ from their day to day tasks and have a moment to pause. Besides the literal use of this color, we have seen an ongoing trend of incorporating plants and the illusion of greenspace into office design, which has been shown to increase and boost office morale and productivity.

There are many creative ways to transform a space. Colour is just one of these great tools that can be an effective and very powerful when used properly in Workplace Design. If you are thinking of redesigning your office and are looking for a little inspiration don’t overlook the psychology of colour.

Footnotes:

https://www.quill.com/blog/workplace-culture/color-me-happy-color-in-office-environment.html

http://s200941466.websitehome.co.uk/uploads/files/Light_and_Colour_-_Using_Colour_in_the_Workplace.pdf

https://www.informedesign.org/_news/jan_v05r-p.pdf

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