WORKPLACE
FOR OVER 70 YEARS, WHO WE ARE
we’ve worked with clients across the globe to design buildings and environments that are inspiring, functional, and contextual.
At B+H we believe in the power of design to transform spaces, communities, and economies. We enable our clients’ visions through customized designs that exceed their business goals and inspire the people that live, work, heal, play, and learn within them. We view every challenge as an opportunity for learning and never lose sight of the people we’re designing for – regardless of the type of development, scale, scope, or geography involved.
Our bold design solutions are inspired by the confidence that’s derived from honed insight, active listening, fearless entrepreneurialism, and a collaborative fusion of perspectives. Design performance achieved through constant innovation, accountability, hands-on service, cultivating talent, and being a champion for diversity in all its forms – these are the things we value.
QUICK FACTS
WE THINK GLOBALLY AND ACT LOCALLY WITH PROJECTS IN 30+ COUNTRIES
400+ Staff in 8 integrated studios around the world
30 PARTNERS Won in the last 20 years alone across our 8 studios
200+ AWARDS
HO CHI MINH CITY
HONG KONG
SHENZHEN
SHANGHAI
SINGAPORE
SERVICES
ARCHITECTURE | INTERIOR DESIGN | PLANNING & LANDSCAPE | ADVANCE STRATEGY | BIOMIMICRY | RENEWAL | COMPLIANCE | EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN
COMMERCIAL/ MIXED USE
SECTORS
HEALTHCARE RESIDENTIAL HOSPITALITY
CORPORATE WORKPLACE
PLANNING & LANDSCAPE
INSTITUTIONAL/ EDUCATION
RETAIL
SPORTS & RECREATION
TRANSPORTATION
Award-winning design that is always
WELL, Green Mark, China 3-Star, Net Zero, Passive House and LEED®
Certified
bold We do things
We’ll ask the right questions.
We’ll have the tough conversations.
A conventional design process is a risky strategy in a world that is changing by the minute.
WHO WE ARE
differently.
+ Human
People must come first.
We design for multi-dimensional experiences.
Understanding the user experience is key to unlocking a company’s competitive advantage.
SickKids PSC, Toronto, Canada
OUR WORK
When it comes to business, culture is strategy.
Culture is the most important factor in determining a company’s success. Acquisition, cultivation, and retention of top talent are critical success factors in an ever-changing and demanding business environment where innovation determines an organization’s ability to remain competitive and relevant. The current pool of leading talent is heavily influenced by globalization, demographic shifts, and the need to rapidly adopt emerging technologies. To respond to the needs of a multi-cultural workforce and the changing expectations of new generations, workplace designs must address the growing trend toward inclusivity and flatter organizational structures.
One size misfits all. Focusing on people, we design healthy workplaces that facilitate a diverse range of work styles and preferences, encourage movement throughout the day, provide opportunities for collaboration that reflect the desired culture, and empower employees so they feel inspired and remain engaged. Understanding the user experience is the key to unlocking a company’s competitive advantage – translating into increased performance and productivity.
INTERIOR DESIGN CAPABILITIES
B+H offers a full range of interior design and space planning services. Our teams of interior designers create environments that seamlessly integrate people, the environment, technology and the ultimate purpose of the space.
As specialists in interior design, B+H helps clients create thriving work communities. We excel at large, complex projects that are driven by innovation, collaboration and sustainability.
We provide the following interior design services:
STRATEGIC PLANNING
• Master Planning
• Functional needs analysis
• Programming
• Test fit real estate analysis
• Corporate standards
• Facilities Management
FACILITIES SUPPORT SERVICES
• Move implementation
• Post occupancy evaluation
• Artwork program
• Graphic Design and wayfinding
• Ongoing Facilities support services
Our teams believe in creating healthy environments, bringing natural light into the workplace and using design to foster community. We understand how a well-
crafted environment can shape our clients’ brands and reflect the values that drive their organizations. That’s why we create branded environments that promote our clients’ unique positioning and help them achieve their objectives. Our designs reflect not only who are clients are, but where they want to go.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION
• Space Planning
• Design documentation
• 3D Axonometric planning, 3D renderings and animations
• Global Benchmarking and trend analysis
• Planning review for code compliance
• Furniture procurement
• Furniture inventory
• Furniture disposition
• Ergonomic assessment
• LEED workshop
• Comprehensive Construction documentation
• Consultant selection and coordination
• Preparation and management of Bid and Permit documentation
• Project Management Services
The Post Atrium, Vancouver, Canada
SICKKIDS PATIENT SUPPORT CENTRE
DESIGN THAT INSPIRES AND UPLIFTS
The 22-storey SickKids Patient Support Centre (PSC) in Toronto serves as a bespoke workplace for the education, training, and administration of Canada’s leading pediatric healthcare organization. It marks the critical first step of SickKids’ multi-year campus transformation project, aiming to create an inspired and reimagined hospital of the future.
As Canada’s largest center dedicated to children’s health and research, the PSC required a multidisciplinary approach, blending architecture, workplace interiors, and landscape design. The workspace design required a layout that fosters collaboration among approximately 3,000 staff members, including physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals, while also addressing each department’s unique operational needs.
A vibrant colour scheme welcomes visitors to the PSC with a striking blueribbon staircase, colourful dichroic glass, and a whimsical mobile installation. Inspired by a child’s imagination, the design employs bold colours and playful shapes to foster an atmosphere of joy and creativity. Central to this process was the SickKids Children’s Council, ensuring that children’s perspectives were integral to the design. This collaboration included dynamic design elements, such as inspirational words in cursive LED lighting in each elevator bay and murals showcasing children’s doodles interpreting kindness, imagination, and bravery. These wall murals, facing the hospital bay, engage the imagination of patients across the street.
Lower levels of the PSC are dedicated to knowledge sharing and skill development. The flexible Simulation Centre, equipped with movable walls and furniture, adapts seamlessly to diverse educational needs. Cutting-edge technology, including 3D printers, dedicated VR/AR spaces, Student Centre and Resource Library, empower innovation and experiential learning.
Upper floors feature flexible workspaces that combine individual offices with collaborative zones. Strategic glazing, a Building Automation System, and Toronto’s innovative deep lake-water cooling maximize natural light and energy efficiency.
Awards
CTBUH Award of Excellence 2024
AZ Awards - Interior Design - Longlisted 2025
Architizer A+ Awards - Finalist, Commercial Office, High Rise 2025
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 427,300 ft2 | 39,697 m2
Status Completed 2023
Client Confidential
HIDDEN GEMS AND HISTORIC CHARM IN A VIBRANT TECH HUB
The Post, a historic landmark with over 65 years of service as a Canada Post processing facility, has been transformed into a vibrant mixed-use space as the Confidential Tech Client’s Vancouver Tech Hub. Embracing the “Roots Story Craft” design concept, the revitalization honours the city’s diverse culture while preserving the building’s heritage.
At the heart of this transformation lies the Atrium, a vibrant social and events hub connecting the North and South office towers. Spanning 22 feet in height, the Atrium is filled with natural light and features world-class amenities, including a 210-person event centre, a large café area equipped with dog parking and a dog run, and exterior basketball sports courts.
B+H led the interior design of the atrium and the office towers, which total 1.1 million sq.ft of office space. A striking 18-foot mural resembling a pixelated postage stamp crafted from reclaimed mailbox doors dating back to the building’s 1960s origins serves as a focal point. A hidden surprise awaits: one of the original post boxes holds a framed postage stamp from Vancouver to Seattle, commemorating the first mail run with 60 letters.
This mural frames the Atrium’s café, snack shop, and main seating area, fostering a vibrant dining, working, collaboration, and socializing hub. The Atrium features various inviting seating areas, accommodating solo work, larger groups, and numerous meeting rooms. Custom light fixtures, fabrics and furniture elicit the feeling of a living room, giving users a sense of belonging and comfort and inviting them to stay awhile.
Furthering the vibrancy of the design, B+H also collaborated with local artists Samantha Dickie & Marie Khouri to create hanging sculptures suspended from skylights above the interconnecting stairs leading to the north and south office towers.
Awards
VCRA Awards: General Contractor - Tenant Improvement over $5M; Trade Contractors $2M-$12M; Electrical Contractors over $10M, 2024 AZ Awards - Interior Design - Longlisted 2025
Location Vancouver, Canada
Size 43,000 ft2 | 3995 m2
Status Completed 2024
Services Interior Design, Experiential Graphic Design, Advanced Strategy
Client Confidential Tech Client
A VANCOUVER ICON, REINVENTED
With over 65 years of history, The Post begins its latest chapter as Metro Vancouver’s newly redeveloped mixed-used commercial and retail space. Inspired by Vancouver’s rich and diverse cultural landscape, it pays homage to the site’s heritage, the surrounding urban landscape, and the generations that have called it home.
Designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, the South Tower of The Post incorporates architectural elements that promote natural light and biophilic design, contributing to health and wellness. Drawing inspiration from the intricate craftsmanship of materials like ceramic, stone, glass, and metal, areas of interest within the tower will be strategically placed to evoke curiosity, foster discovery, and provide moments of delight. The design encourages users to actively seek out these features, creating a dynamic and engaging experience that evolves from day to day.
Thoughtfully positioned on each level, features embodying the design concepts will serve as landmarks, creating moments of interest and delight. The cohesive base palette, comprising textures, colours, and forms, will weave through the entire space, connecting these moments and offering a unified experience as visitors move seamlessly from one area to another and from floor to floor.
The Post is exclusively occupied by a confidential tech client, encompassing the entire 1.1 million sq ft of office space in the South and North Towers and serving as the workplace for over 6,000 employees. This location not only marks the tech client’s largest office in downtown Vancouver but also stands as the most extensive office building in the city center.
Awards
AZ Awards - Interior Design - Longlisted 2025
Location Vancouver, Canada
Size 1,107,704 ft2 | 102909 m 2 for the entire project
Status South Tower - Completed 2024; North Tower - Expected Completion 2026
Client Confidential Tech Client Certification Base Building is LEED® Gold Certified
CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND THOSE WHO CREATE IT
The design of Building 3 at the Tech Company’s Redmond Headquarters aimed to ignite the creativity of the diverse innovators responsible for massive leaps in technology. The interior concept sought to bring out unique perspectives within what might initially seem structured and linear.
B+H and LMN Architects collaborated to design the interiors of Building 3 within Whatcom Village as part of the Tech Company’s Campus Modernization Project in Redmond, WA.
Incorporating design elements like organic shapes, integration with nature, and sophisticated layers of materials, Building 3 fosters a communal atmosphere by seamlessly intertwining life, spaces, and experiences within the structure.
Awards
East Campus Modernization Project – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner 2024
Location Redmond, Washington, USA
Size 232,900 ft2 | 21,637 m2
Status Completed 2023
Client Confidential Tech Company
Collaboration B+H Architects in association with LMN Architects
THE VOCABULARY OF DESIGN
B+H and LMN Architects collaborated to design the interiors of Building 4 within Whatcom Village as part of the Tech Company’s Campus Modernization Project in Redmond, WA. Just as letters combine to form words and stories, programming languages utilize a fundamental vocabulary of elements and rules to craft complex experiences.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of zeros and ones, as well as dots and dashes, the design language of Building 4 at the Tech Company’s Redmond Headquarters embraces a simple vocabulary of geometric shapes. The design produces larger, more intricate, and even organic patterns and forms by layering and combining these shapes at various scales. This visual representation mirrors the transformation of base code into a compelling narrative.
Awards
East Campus Modernization Project – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner 2024
Location Redmond, Washington, USA
Size 158,750 ft2 | 14,748 m2
Status Completed 2023
Client Confidential Tech Company
Collaboration B+H Architects in association with LMN Architects
CONFIDENTIAL TECH COMPANY’S CAMPUS EXPANSION, BLDG 5
PEOPLE, TECHNOLOGY, AND NATURE
The expansion of Building 5 of the Tech Company’s Redmond Headquarters celebrates the relationship between nature and people, inspiring the ways people work and what they create.
B+H and LMN Architects collaborated to design the interiors of Building 5 within Whatcom Village as part of the Tech Company’s Campus Modernization Project in Redmond, WA. Beginning as a framework for people to explore new ideas, the interior design space takes on an experimental quality meant to express human creativity, exploration, and curiosity. Using design languages such as geometric patterns, colour blocking, and machined materials, Building 5 evokes a sense of innovation and curiosity.
Awards
East Campus Modernization Project – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner 2024
Location Redmond, Washington, USA
Size 105,250 ft2 | 9778 m2
Status Completed 2023
Client Confidential Tech Company
Collaboration B+H Architects in association with LMN Architects
PATCHWORK AND PIXELS
Building 6 at the Tech Company’s Redmond Headquarters emphasizes infusing the interior space with an organic, human quality to highlight synergies between the physical and digital space. The design language of the space fosters connections among people in the common areas and workspaces, creating an interconnected environment throughout the building.
B+H and LMN Architects collaborated to design the interiors of Building 6 within Whatcom Village as part of the Tech Company’s Campus Modernization Project in Redmond, WA. Rich, deep colours are infused with the interior, fostering a sense of warmth, while stitched and woven details serve as nods to coding and the art of weaving. The structure strikes a balance between industrial elements and the human touch, integrating organic patterns and textures.
Awards
East Campus Modernization Project – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner 2024
Location Redmond, Washington, USA
Size 142,250 ft2 | 13,215 m2
Status Completed 2023
Client Confidential Tech Company
Collaboration B+H Architects in association with LMN Architects
THE STORY OF KELOWNA’S LANDSCAPE
To celebrate their 28th anniversary, the B+H interior design team collaborated with real estate developer Mission Group to create their new headquarters in downtown Kelowna, B.C.
Drawing inspiration from the stunning views of Okanagan Lake and the panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, the office design incorporates natural wood elements, a warm colour palette, stone textures, and organic materials to bring the beauty of the outdoors into the built environment. This design aligns with Mission Group’s commitment to building better communities and developing spaces for the people of Kelowna.
A prominent feature of the new space is an art installation along the wall and ceiling of the reception, made of walnut wooden ribs, symbolizing Mission Group’s connection to Kelowna. The walnut ribs on the ceiling resemble the ripples left by a boat and seamlessly transition into a three-dimensional map of the city grid. This design highlights Mission Group’s journey from their first lakefront project to their most recent developments.
The natural elements are consistently integrated throughout the office, including hidden doors within the wall millwork that create unexpected design moments. To promote employee well-being, the communal kitchen and collaborative workspaces are flooded with natural light and provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Location Kelowna, B.C, Canada
Size 9684 ft2 | 900 m2
Status Completed 2024
Client Mission Group
100 QUEENS QUAY EAST
ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY PRECEDENT
The 24-storey, LEED® Platinum mixed-use commercial, office and retail building at 100 Queens Quay East is an integral component of the first phase of the Lower Yonge Precinct redevelopment, setting a precedent within this future community. A place of work within a predominantly residential community, the tower creates a level of density at the south corner and within the Lower Yonge Precinct that’s required for this urban hub. It has provisions for a large food market and will include the new headquarters of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
An expansive three-acre public park and residential towers are also planned for the development. The plan includes a diverse range of spaces and services that encourage people to interact and promotes livability through a single destination that supports many needs and connects people, spaces and services. Linked to the downtown core via major pedestrian, vehicular and public transportation networks, the building celebrates all modes of transportation.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 700,000 ft2 | 65,032 m2
Status Completed 2021
Client Menkes Developments
Certification LEED Platinum Certified
CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEE WELLNESS CENTRE
RECHARGE AND RENEW
The Confidential Financial Services Organization’s new employee wellness center in Toronto will be a serene sanctuary designed to foster physical and mental well-being among its staff. The space will be inviting and inspiring, featuring organic shapes, warm colours, and reflective surfaces.
From meditation and prayer to art and music, the center offers diverse activities to help employees relax, recharge, and connect with their colleagues. Spacious multipurpose studios are available for yoga and tai chi, while private meditation pods offer a tranquil space for individual reflection. Additionally, well-equipped art therapy rooms foster creativity and self-expression. The center also includes a multi-faith room, ablution areas, and a virtual reality gaming lounge.
Whether employees need a moment of peace, a chance to learn something new, or simply a break, the wellness center is the perfect place to escape and rejuvenate. Designed with employee needs in mind, the center offers a welcoming and supportive environment where individuals can prioritize their well-being and enhance their overall quality of life.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 9950 ft2 | 924 m2
Status Completed 2024
Services Interior Design
Client Confidential Financial Services Organization
RESTORING AND UPGRADING PRIME OFFICE SPACES
Built in 1931 and formerly known as the Canada Permanent Building, 320 Bay St is an 18-storey office building located in the heart of downtown Toronto. This major restoration includes the base building renewal and upgrades to suites in the building to reposition it as a Class A office building.
The restoration has improved the quality and service of the space, while preserving the integrity of the structure’s history and architectural elements. Base building upgrades include washrooms from levels 2 to 18, the main lobby at 304 Bay St, the elevator cabs, and an end-of-trip facility in the basement. We were tasked to acknowledge and marry the materiality in the lobby at 304 Bay with the historical side by giving it a more contemporary feel to appeal to potential clients including tech businesses and major coworking brands.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 23,000 ft2 | 2,137 m2
Status Completed 2020
Client Menkes Developments
320 BAY ST – B+H TORONTO STUDIO
ACTIVITY-BASED HYBRID WORKSPACES
Built in 1931 and formerly known as the Canada Permanent Building, 320 Bay St is an 18-storey office tower located in the heart of downtown Toronto. The restoration of 320 Bay includes the base building renewal and upgrades to suites in the building to reposition it as a Class A office tower. In 2020, B+H’s Toronto Studio moved into our new home at 320 Bay St. After being at our previous location for 35 years, we had to reinvent how we utilized office space in a world of work that had quickly been redefined by hybrid work models. We incorporated activity-based planning strategies with alternative workplace settings designed to enhance collaboration, drive innovation, and increase productivity.
Upon entering the studio, visitors first come across The Sandbox – an open collaborative space used for interactive visioning, workshop sessions and studio gatherings. This is followed by a client coffee area and meeting rooms. The café is located further down the main hallway, creating a more dynamic and casual atmosphere. Workplace settings are located on the north side of the studio. To enhance the well-being of talent, the design increases access to natural light and views as much as possible and includes green plants. A variety of space types support solo and team activities, encouraging employees to select the space that’s best suited to their activities and tasks.
The interiors team at B+H incorporated a number of sustainable features into the design of the space to target LEED Silver rating and encourage the health and well-being of talent, while maintaining the historical character of the building.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 23,000 ft2 | 2,137 m2
Status Completed 2020
Service Interior Design
Client B+H
IRVING OIL HOME OFFICE
DESIGNING WITH AN EYE TO THE FUTURE
The Home Office for family-owned Irving Oil brings together employees spread across six offices in Saint John under one roof to enhance business outcomes and take the company into the next stage of their evolution. The Home Office’s proportions and horizontal datums respond to the surrounding historical context of neighbouring buildings, reinforced through the frieze, cornices, and setback above the podium. The main entrance is landscaped to echo the park across the street, including a setback that accommodates for ample greenery.
Irving Oil artifacts and memorabilia are displayed in the lobby to celebrate the company’s history. This is carried throughout the building via photography and digital displays commemorating a storied past while looking toward an innovative and dynamic future. Featuring a soaring central atrium daylit from above, the entrance lobby is designed to accommodate all employees for gatherings and is animated by an open staircase connecting upper levels. Visibly integrating all levels and business units, the central staircase encourages unexpected interactions and social engagement across the company. The use of natural materials such as white oak, patinaed bronze and a variety of Canadian limestones, paired with upholstery and carpet colours inspired by the Bay of Fundy and beach stone blue hues, create an authentically East Coast aesthetic.
The design team facilitated workshops in consultation with senior leadership and a cross section of departments that represented demographics and workgroups to seek input on Irving’s current state and strategic direction. The data collected was used to evaluate workplace solutions, resulting in a workplace and interior design that advanced the client’s objectives. Our team was able to efficiently plan individual work points to allocate more space for collaborative settings and communal spaces as preferred amenity for employees. Rooted in wellness, the design includes features and amenities including access to natural light, promoting movement through design, onsite health services, 24/7 access to the fitness centre, bike parking, and healthy food options in the café along with access to outdoor dining. Sustainability was at the forefront of the design approach from the onset of the project and the building achieved a LEED NC Silver certification.
Awards
Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2023, Gold Winner
Location Saint John, Canada
Size 200,000 ft2 I 18,581 m2
Status Completed 2020
Client Irving Oil
DESIGNING A COLLABORATIVE TECH OASIS
B+H undertook a comprehensive interior design project for a confidential tech client in Santa Monica, California. Transforming a vast office space encompassing nearly 200,000 square feet, the project spanned multiple floors across two buildings. This large-scale endeavour was completed under a Master Service Agreement (MSA).
Inspired by the coastal city’s relaxed vibe and natural beauty, the design concept embraced a calming and inspiring aesthetic. Soothing tones and textures reminiscent of the California sun, wind, and sea were incorporated throughout the space. This approach fostered a light and airy work environment, creating a canvas for exploration, curiosity, and collaboration.
The project encompassed a variety of workspaces to ensure functionality and comfort for all staff. This included traditional headcount areas with dedicated desks, designated food service facilities, and dedicated amenity spaces. Notably, the design adhered to the Tech Client’s established Workplace Guidelines, guaranteeing a space meeting their needs.
Service Interior Design, Environmental Graphic Design
Location Santa Monica, California
Size 181,495 ft2 | 16,861 m2 over 5 levels
Status Completed 2024
Client Confidential
Awards
Walter F. Pruter Project of the Year, 2024
121 KING WEST, ROSEROCK PLACE
A BOUTIQUE OFFICE EXPERIENCE IN TORONTO’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT
The newly renovated lobby at Roserock Place, formerly 121 King Street West, is a stunning showcase of nature-inspired design.
The design concept for the renovation of the lobby at 121 King Street West inspired the renaming of the building to Roserock Place. The sculptural rock formation rising from the concourse level into the lobby echoes the quarry faces of the Canadian Shield from which the building’s distinctive pink granite was carved. The raw rock face at the elevators and biophilic-inspired furniture bring the space back to nature. This one-of-a-kind space offers a truly unforgettable experience for tenants and visitors alike.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 5000 ft2 | 465 m2
Status Completed 2024
Services Interior Design
Client JLL & Crestpoint
A LANDMARK FOR TORONTO’S SOUTH CORE
Located in Toronto’s fast-developing South Core district, between Union Station and the waterfront, the Client occupies approximately 130,000 SF of 4.5 floors at 16 York. The new space reflects the Client’s strong growth in real estate financing. A classic and distinguished reception and meeting spaces, a flexible large café and training rooms, with efficient open work areas support the Client’s needs, and speaking to the company’s continued growth. B+H was the base-building architects and have intimate knowledge of the complex infrastructure of this cutting edge 21st century building, which completed construction in summer of 2021.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 130,000 ft2 | 12,077 m2
Status Completed 2021
Client Confidential
FLEXIBLE WORKSPACES FOR A HYBRID CULTURE
The interiors for the new Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) headquarters located at 100 Queens Quay East span seven floors and reinforce the LCBO’s distinct culture and brand through a mixture light woods, textured cork and distinctive graphics. The open, flexible office workspace capitalizes upon the stunning views of the Toronto waterfront and downtown. The interior workplace environment successfully balances group collaboration with individual focus, critical to support hybrid work models. The range of settings support a variety of work activities and provides a sense of place, variety, and choice. Concurrent development of the architecture and interiors by the B+H team facilitates a cohesive and unified aesthetic inside and out.
The B+H ExD team used colourful and engaging large-scale graphics, inspired by the beauty and tone of alcohol labels to create texture and ambiance on each floor. Using a mixture of matte and metallic tones and textures reflecting the finish of printed wine labels, each elevator lobby and floor has a unique and distinct colour and pattern to help orient employees and guests, alike, while providing a welcoming sense of arrival. Near the public reception desk, an interactive cocktail party wall welcomes everyone and encourages the sharing of favourite cocktail recipes, creating a fun and whimsical gathering place.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 225,000 ft2 | 20,903 m2
Status Completed 2022
Client LCBO
TECHNOLOGY HOTHOUSE IN THE RAINFOREST
Downtown Vancouver is home to a rapidly-growing technology sector, and 402 Dunsmuir will be home to some 1,000 software engineers and programmers for one of the world’s largest technology companies. A series of stacked floor plates shift laterally back and forth, the advancing and retreating wall planes animating the façade and framing the Gothic spires of the neighbouring Cathedral of the Holy Rosary. Inside, an industrial loft aesthetic is expressed through polished concrete floors, exposed services, and flexible open-span spaces. The lobby café and social hub opens onto a secluded mid-block courtyard, richly landscaped and cozily sheltered beneath the office floors above.
Awards
Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2023, Gold Winner
NAIOP Vancouver Commercial Real Estate Awards (CREA 2022) - Vancouver Best Office Development
Location Vancouver, Canada
Size 146,618 ft2 | 13,600 m2
Completion 2021
Client Oxford Properties Group
Certification LEED Gold Core and Shell certification
UBER CANADA HEADQUARTERS
ENGINEERING HUB
In 2018, this company was seeking an innovative and forward-thinking Interior Design partner to create a leading-edge solution for their new Canadian head office. B+H’s proven track record with tech companies delivering progressive and innovative interiors led to the client’s approval.
The client had leased the top five floors of a midtown office tower that provided outdoor terraces on two of the top floors. This unique feature coupled with a clean floorplate gave B+H a virtual blank slate to create a highly collaborative, creative and fun workplace.
As this company was in midst of revitalizing their branding guidelines, B+H was tasked with implementing a new strategy for the Canadian head office that would enhance their brand expression and create moments of respite, play and memorable landmarks. B+H’s Experiential Graphic Design (EDG) team was brought on board and a close collaboration ensued so that each floor expresses an individual sense of identity through the overarching theme of movement.
The schedule for this project was very aggressive, but B+H was able to meet all the required milestones and budget restrictions, exceeding the client’s expectations. The new Canadian Head Office is an intuitive, creative, relaxed and collaborative environment that Uber is proud to call home.
Awards
2021 ARIDO Award
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 80,000 ft2 I 7,432 m2
Status Completed 2019
Client Uber Canada
A MINIMALIST DESIGN BOASTING GREAT VIEWS
The space came to life through the clean lines and minimalist aesthetic, all of which vetted by the technology company’s brand design sensibility. This project was intended to be a space plan exercise and move-in ready. The design evolved into 12 space planning renditions and design of the entire floor, including two kitchens and a customer experience area all of which needed to include state of the art AV and security for the 3-year temporary space.
The biggest feature and most unique aspect to the project was the view of the North Shore. B+H had to ensure the client facing areas had the greatest exposure to these views, all the while exposing the office to natural light with a high level of security It was a challenging balance to finalize the layout while achieving all the client’s goals. This was a constant juggle between user groups, view access, security, and the programme. Inspiration was found from the architectural angles and existing view within the space.
Location Vancouver, Canada
Size 3,200 ft2 | 297 m2
Status Completed 2019
Client Confidential
A DISTINCTLY LOCAL CONCEPT INSPIRED BY VANCOUVER ISLAND
This project, located in beautiful Victoria, BC, was B+H’s fifth project with Deloitte Canada. A progressive client, Deloitte is open to optimizing space utilization and collaboration areas, because of this we were able to incorporate designs for an innovation studio, open-meet-work zone and two cafés, one of which is open to the public and the other reserved for internal talent. Deloitte’s design standards include enabling growth, providing flexibility, contextualized aesthetic, and creating an inspirational work environment. We implemented Deloitte’s well-developed design standards and added our own creative vision that speaks to the beauty of this location and the inspiration of the historic elements of Victoria crafted with materials like wood and brick. This colour scheme was inspired by the beauty of the surrounding nature using a grounded organic palette and complimented by incorporating pops of colour.
Location Victoria, Canada
Size 9,000 ft2 | 836 m2
Status Completed 2019
Client Deloitte Canada
ONLINE RETAILER - ATLAS
UNITING A WORKPLACE THROUGH DESIGN
B+H was commissioned to fit-out this confidential 1970/80s class C property with recent shell and core upgrades by the LL. ~130,000 ft2 with 7 floors – three floors fully or partially below grade. Half of the building was designed as a standalone facility in the 1970s and the building was expanded in the 1980s, adding a mirror image second half. The project challenges of two different sets of building systems and conditions, two cores with elevators and vertical egress at each, required careful attention to details and specifications. The project started in 2/2017 and as of this month has its first occupants moving in.
The project initially started as 5 floors of office space with meeting rooms, collaboration areas, and workspace. It included a full-service café and A/V conference facilities. About mid-project the scope expanded to include three robotics labs, separate wood, metal, testing, and fabrication workshops, with a portion of the adjacent parking garage appropriated as additional testing facilities. We also were asked to look at the building approach by auto, transit, and pedestrian and provide design and environmental graphics to improve access and the user experience.
Location Seattle, USA
Size 158,500 ft2 | 14,725 m2
Status Completed 2018
Client Confidential
TENCENT SEAFRONT TOWERS
DESIGNING VERTICAL CAMPUS FOR FUTURE INNOVATORS
Tencent is best known for running China’s biggest messenger app, WeChat. In recent years, the company’s business has expanded into areas including video games, AI, and entertainment and has become the most valuable company in Asia. Tencent operates in a highly innovative industry where top talent is young, dynamic and smart. Our client’s vision lies in promoting its global reach and creating a vibrant and collaborative work environment that fosters innovation, sparks creativity, and inspires staff.
Tencent’s twin Seafront Towers (rising 50 and 39 storeys) serve as the new home for the tech conglomerate’s 12,000 employees and stand as city landmarks. Working as interior designer, B+H worked closely with the client and architect to adapt the concept of a vertical campus to reflect Tencent’s community-focused culture. Reminiscent of a university campus, this vertical campus offers amenities for work and play. Tencent’s mostly millennial talent will find a convivial workplace environment – part lifestyle hub and part social village – within an ergonomic and modern building. The towers are connected by skybridges, where those moving between towers can interact and meet to create synergies and generate fresh ideas. Each skybridge has its own unique theme.
Location Shenzhen, China
Size 861,113 ft2 | 80,000 m2
Status Completed 2018
Client Tencent
Certification Targeting LEED® NC
PUTTING A FRESH SPIN ON AN ESTABLISHED CULTURE
PCL was looking for a solution to unify their staff and create an engaging workspace for all. The project aimed to bring staff together and harmonize an interconnected culture. Over 55,000 ft2 was designed over 1.5 floors in a new low-rise office building in Oakville. B+H concurrently designed and developed new workplace standards for private offices and workstations along with specifying all new furniture. PCL emphasized a desire to display creative detail in their new space. The final design revolves around a theme of craftmanship and quality work that are core pillars of their brand.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 55,000 ft2 | 5,109 m2
Status Completed 2018
Client PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
REFLECTING COMPANY CULTURE
B+H was retained to work with Jones Lang LaSalle for a global tech company looking to expand their workspace in Scotia Plaza, located at 44 King Street West in Toronto. Our main objective was to create an office space that would translate the company’s core values of providing the utmost in client satisfaction and supporting their talent base through spaces and experiences that embody and strengthen their internal culture.
Our design approach was based on creating a truly inclusive and collaborative process by engaging the client as an integral member of the design team. The client has an internal design and construction management division dedicated to their projects, where the focus of design is rooted in creating collaborative spaces for their talent to support their needs and achieve a higher level of productivity. Our design strategy was aligned with our client’s focus on data collection and ensuring that all decisions were carefully considered to reduce risk. We were directly involved in their due diligence process to collect information pertaining to space utilization and the right mix of amenities to attract and retain the type of talent they need to be truly successful.
The resulting design features an entire floor dedicated to amenities such as a Food & Beverage component and an AV training centre. Social hubs and ping pong tables are scattered throughout community zones, creating centres of activity to encourage interactions between team members and allow for serendipitous exchanges between colleagues that may not otherwise spend time together. By offering a diversity of common and private workspaces, the company’s talent can choose which type of environment they think would be most conducive to achieving their goals. These spaces are complemented by small meeting rooms that are fully equipped with the technology required to connect with global teams and clients.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 113,200 ft2 | 10,516 m2
Status Completed 2018
Client Confidential
ONLINE RETAILER - TILT 49
CREATING AN OFFICE OF INSPIRATION
Headquartered in downtown Seattle, with a booming online presence, this digital tech giant looked toward the B+H interior design team to envision a space that inspires their employees, attracts new talent, and reflects their company culture.
Tilt 49 is a new, 11-storey building in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle with 5 additional below grade parking levels. This tech company needed a new space for their Website Services team and landed on this site. They developed a set of internal guidelines called the 3+1 concept and asked the B+H team to prototype their configuration. Three floors of the building are dedicated to office workstations followed by an amenity floor with alternative workspaces. The 3+1 concept was developed to maximize headcount as well as encourage movement throughout the space. This building is the first free address workspace for all employees without assigned seating on any of the floors.
Location Seattle, USA
Size 230,000 ft2 | 21,368 m2
Status Completed 2018
Client Confidential
ENVISIONING A NEW FORM OF WORKPLACE
Best known as the owner and operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV), the TMX Group provides a comprehensive range of financial, information and technology services to the Canadian and international financial communities. For the TMX Group’s all-new headquarters in downtown Toronto, we worked closely with executive leadership to help advance a culture of transparency, collaboration and innovation across all areas of the organization.
B+H analyzed and communicated the pros and cons of different workplace strategies and developed clear workplace typologies and adjacencies. The result is a new workplace vision that was approved at the executive level and defined by the successful completion of a robust programming, planning, and preliminary design effort. We worked closely with executive leadership to help advance a culture of transparency, collaboration and innovation across all areas of the organization.
A new open-plan workspace is key to this transformation, the expansive spaces, clear sightlines and communal gathering areas bringing people together and supporting a sense of shared purpose. Generous natural light is carried deep into the office floors through full-height exterior glazing and translucent interior partitions.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 115,000 ft2 | 10,683 m2
Status Completed 2017
Client TMX Group
COHESIVE SPATIAL EXPERIENCE
BlueRock Therapeutics is an engineered cell therapy company with a mission to develop regenerative medicines for intractable diseases. The company initiated its first clinical trial to treat Parkinson’s Disease patients in 2018, and is developing a cell therapy designed to remuscularize damaged cardiac tissue in heart failure patients. This laboratory and research space within the MaRS II complex is designed to support BlueRock’s emerging role within Toronto’s Discovery District network of biotechnology development and commercialization.
A cohesive spatial experience and project identity was achieved via a palette of spaces fostering culture, curiosity, collaboration and discovery, which could be applied to both renovated and new workspaces. Open, studiolike, tech-enabled, lighting-enhanced, reconfigurable co-lab zones with kitchenette and presentation capabilities are at the heart of both spaces, with open workstations and meeting spaces adjacent to them. Highly controlled laboratory environs with their own service flows are physically separated but visually engaged with these central hives through glazed screens enlivened with custom felt cutouts based on cell morphology. At the MaRS II space, conference spaces can open onto the central co-lab zone to host events, and with the goal to showcase science-in-action, include framed views into the GMP-pilot lab. Design details balance modular arrangements and the crisp lines and cleanable finishes of a high-tech laboratory environment with the organic, colour-saturated forms of a energetic, brand-responsive biotech start-up. As the MaRS II space nears completion, BlueRock is looking forward to establishing itself as a magnet for product development and commercialization within the biotech ecosystem of MaRS II.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 16,000 ft2 I 1,486 m2
Status Completed 2019
Client BlueRock Therapeutics LLC
INNOVATIVE NEW MARKET OFFERING BLURS TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES
Coterie’s innovative new market offering blends the best of business club, coworking space, restaurant, and bar. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, Coterie offers a sophisticated space to get business done -- from hosting a meeting to closing a deal over cocktails in the bar. Designed with the comfort of a lounge, the culture of an upscale bar, and the performance of a tech office, Coterie Worklounge responds to a gap in the growing co-work market by providing professionals an alternative to conventional downtown offices. The flexible membership model accommodates corporate clients needing overflow space, independent consultants who use the lounge as a primary business address, mobile professionals, and those squeezed out of Seattle’s corporate real estate market. Thirty percent of Coterie’s members have office space within walking distance and simply seek a place to be productive, meet a client, or escape the open plan environment for a while. Coterie Worklounge is the proud recipient of the Commercial Interior of the Year presented by the NAIOP Night of the Stars 2016.
Location Seattle, USA
Size 11,560 ft2 | 1,073 m2
Status Completed 2015
Client Coterie Worklounge
TWITTER CANADA HEADQUARTERS
DESIGNING AN ENGAGING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
Twitter promotes engaging, social experiences for its users. Accordingly, they required an office reflecting the same collaborative, inspiration-driven experience for their employees. This project moves them from a cramped, outgrown (so, overcrowded) site into a much larger facility that allows for rapid growth, fosters collaboration, and feels like a home away from home for both employees and guests. The team wanted a decidedly non-corporate and more residential look and feel for the space, while maintaining the functionality a workplace.
Eschewing private offices or panelled workstations, the design balances open collaborative spaces and quiet zones, allowing people to work anywhere within the facility – whether standing, sitting or perching. Audiovisual and connectivity feature throughout the site, ensuring virtually every square foot is usable for multiple settings. Common areas feature full service amenities to provide collaborative buzz throughout, and quiet spaces allow for occasional heads-down work while 1-2 person rooms allow for confidential calls or briefings. We promoted sustainability by retaining the existing flooring and mechanical features.
Reinforcing the collaborative nature of the company’s workplace ideology, all staff are assigned space in an open bench; a full service café with daily meal service reinforces the importance of staff and guests feeling at home. The Library functions as an important bridge of workspace wings and provides a living room and open meeting space. The “Commons” is truly a multifunctional space, including a kitchen, lounge, cafeteria, meeting spaces, town hall, games and recreation spaces. Office space is scaled for growth, meaning this rich, attractive space represents them now and in the future.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 18,000 ft2 | 1,670 m2
Status Completed 2015
Client Confidential
FASKEN MARTINEAU
JOINING FORM AND FUNCTION
Our current project for Fasken Martineau is a 28,000 ft2. renovation of this law firm’s existing space. A past inconsistent approach to planning and furniture selection has resulted in a situation where their existing office space does not optimally suit their needs. Our main goal is to develop space and furniture standards in order to meet the design and functional needs of the firm, and to provide them with a bold, new space that speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit of the firm. We will be transforming their space over three construction phases, with a completion date at the end of 2013.
Location Calgary, Canada
Size 28,000 ft2 | 2,601 m2
Status Completed 2015
Client Fasken Martineau
MCCARTHY TÉTRAULT LLP
MULTIFUNCTIONAL MODERNITY
This Client’s Calgary office was given the opportunity to lease the top four floors of their current building, allowing them a space in which they can create new workplace initiatives that are more closely aligned with their other offices. We worked with the firm to create a new 12,000 ft2 client centre on the top floor, complete with extensive audio-visual solutions attuned to their technology needs. We also created a new multi-functional lounge to be used by staff during the day, while also becoming a large gathering space for firm functions when opened up to the reception area. We improved adjacencies between practice groups, and created inviting amenity spaces on all floors. New glass office fronts help to bring natural light into the centre of the floors, so that all staff will have access to daylight. The new 57,600 ft2 office gives the Client a clean, contemporary and enduring design.
Location Calgary, Canada
Size 57,600 ft2 | 5,351 m2
Status Completed 2014
Client McCarthy Tétrault LLP
SPARKING CREATIVITY, INSTILLING ENERGY
This website development company owns and operates multiple web-based dating services. Under new leadership in 2016, there was a shift to rebrand the company and their subsequent restructuring and rapid growth led them to look for new office space to accommodate for their expansion. The new design is intended to act as a tool for the attraction and retention of talented millennial staff, to reflect a fresh face for the company, and to inject a sense of fun and energy into the workplace. Headquarters for employees of various functions including business development, call centre representatives, and graphic designers, the space is designed to create an open and transparent feel while also addressing the needs of the company’s diverse staff.
Using carefully chosen furniture, a bold colour palette, commissioned art and installations, and other decorative elements, the office space features both modern and timeless design elements with minimal details and a focus on technology. Workspaces accommodate for varying levels of privacy according to the function and needs of different employees including traditional private offices, seating areas with divisional panels, and open concept bench seating. Featuring distinct zones in addition to the workstation areas, the office includes spaces that contribute to a strong sense of work/life balance through fun environments that spark creativity, offer respite, and encourage collaboration.
Designed to feel separate from the office to provide an area for staff to retreat, regroup, and reinvigorate, The Lounge is a bar and recreation area accessible through a portal clad in bright red acoustical material to match the brand. Central to the office is The Hub – a lounge area with residential furniture for a laid-back feel – used as a common gathering space for employees. Visible from all areas of the office, The Hub encourages staff to use the space as required. Finally, an art gallery wall displaying commissioned paintings and installations acts as an inspiration space.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 13,000 ft2 | 1,200 m2
Status Completed 2016
Client ruby Corp.
GARDINER ROBERTS LLP
BUILDING FOR EFFICIENCY AND EQUALITY
After occupying the same offices at Scotia Plaza for over 20 years, Gardiner Roberts LLP was keen to see how their office and culture could be realized in other locations. An initial test fit of Bay Adelaide east yielded a 10% reduction in office space and they seized the opportunity to take advantage of the amenities of a newly constructed office tower.
Working closely with the Gardiner Roberts design committee, B+H was able to demonstrate the potential of the building’s floor plate. The practice area was streamlined into an efficient work plan. Collaborative workrooms situated in each corner are equipped with technology to facilitate universal office sizes equate equal status for all lawyers, regardless of status. While lawyer offices are located on the perimeter, glass office fronts were positioned to allow natural light to flow through. A gradient acid etch pattern, referred to as a “cloud” provides visual privacy at eye level which diffuses into clear glass above for natural light to flow through into the office core. All interior offices for clerks utilized this same glass with sliding glass doors.
The creation of a client centre was centered around the reception. A variety of meeting room sizes, catering facilities, and a large multi-purpose conference room with skyfold and integrated technology affords Gardiner Roberts with enhanced and integrated conference abilities not available at their previous location. Their monthly tool box seminars can now be located within their premises instead of hotel conference rooms. A firm lounge anchors this facility that not only provides staff dining and coffee breaks, but a TV lounge with superior views from floor-to–ceiling windows. With the provision of audio visual devices, this room is also used for ad hoc meetings and staff functions. With these added amenities, Gardiner Roberts is now able to host evening events for clients and to be able to use this space for charitable endeavors.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 38,800 ft2 | 3,530 m2
Status Completed 2016
Client Gardiner Roberts LLP
DEVELOPING A FUTURETHINKING WORKPLACE
The project’s goal is to take the successful corporate vision of the company and create the next generation of future thinking accessible workplace that is suitable for all demographic of workers.
The project will include many programmatic elements that exist in the current space, but ultimately include many new areas as well. The company was not happy with the ‘white’ environment that was created in their current space and wanted an environment that really expressed their ideas.
As an overall team - B+H was able to coordinate with the base building Architecture team to provide some building modifications as the basic structure was being built. This included openings for a continuous interconnected stair set through 14 floors. There was also slab modification to certain floors for additional loading for the conference centre, as well as a fitness facility.
Location Calgary, Canada
Size 146,618 ft2 | 13,600 m2
Status In Progress
Client Oxford Properties
CONSOLIDATION FOR COLLABORATION
Designing Studio H came with one critical direction—create one team. The 260-person OSG Design Team had been spread out across multiple buildings on their campus, so we designed an interior to consolidate staff and provide maximum flexibility and access to amenities as well as each other. Having built a strong relationship with this client on past projects, we knew their Workplace Advantage strategy came with protocols and a near-mathematical approach to workplace engagement and improvement. With that personal and in-depth understanding of their needs, we pushed the client to comfortable extremes. Our Advance Strategy team conducted a visioning session to learn how the client pictured the collaborative workspace in Studio H. From past experience we know that “collaboration” means more than what’s understood on the surface, so our focused client-designer visioning session went deeper to explore what unique characteristics the client and its staff couldn’t do without. We learned that fluidity in footprint and circulation leading to and away from a common space—aptly named the Hub—was the fount of their startup-vibe inspiration.
Location Redmond, USA
Size 39,990 ft2 | 3,715 m2
Status Completed 2015
Client Tech Company
RTC-6 TURN 10 STUDIOS
INFUSING COHESION AND CULTURE
Team cohesiveness, social and cultural connection is at the heart of this Turn-10 studios project. Gaming software projects often take up to 2 years to develop and require over 150 people. Designers were challenged to come up with a creative, professional space that makes groups of 150+ people feel like a single, cohesive team. Spatial layout was constructed to encourage people to travel between floors and connect in a central gathering space. Visitors are greeted by an inspiring entrance expressing the company’s brand featuring authentic race cars.
Location Redmond, USA
Size 50,500 ft2 | 4,690 m2
Status Completed 2017
Client Tech Company
CELEBRATING A LEGACY
This Telecommunications company sought to relocate their executive offices and create an environment that was evocative of a global Fortune 500 company with a special focus on providing an integrated audio/visual solution throughout the office. Their new location included one floor dedicated to nonexecutives that had previously been located outside of the downtown core, and a private floor for the CEO and upper management team.
To accommodate offices for non-executives and to take advantage of the natural light afforded by the space, B+H guided out client in the creation of inboard offices with glass office fronts. Non-exterior facing offices were unassigned, to be used by visiting Bell employees. Workstations are located on the perimeter with low panels that provide privacy while seated, and allow natural light to flow in. Additional spaces include collaboration zones with proximity to a coffee bar, and meeting and copier rooms that create a central hub to facilitate workflow. Finally, the design incorporated historic artifacts from the client’s archives to create a sense of legacy in this brand new space.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 44,230 ft2 | 4,109 m2
Status Completed 2017
Client Confidential
JACKMAN REINVENTION INC.
FOSTERING CREATIVITY THROUGH DESIGN
The location selected is a two-floor, 18,530 ft2 space in a west-downtown heritage post-and-beam structure. New materials like marble tile, concrete floors, stainless steel and wood plank recall the building’s industrial past, while furnishings are sleek and modern. The workspace is laid out with creativity in mind. “Breakout booths” flank a cluster of glass-fronted boardrooms, allowing groups to filter in and out of boardroom meetings and start up spontaneous offshoot meetings nearby. The large kitchen serves as an inviting social hub, while playful graphics and comfortable open areas make the lower studio spaces feel more like a home. While the upper studios are left largely raw to showcase the grandeur of the wood-framed space, the office’s bright back stairwell features walls, treads, risers, ceilings and doors, all fully coated in Jackman’s signature “reinvention red,” echoing the energy of the firm’s design minds. Jackman moved into their new space in the spring of 2013. As posters, graphics and props pass through the office, the space serves as an everchanging stage for Jackman’s work and a true representation of who Jackman is as a firm.
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 18,530 ft2 | 1,720 m2
Status Completed 2013
Client Joe Jackman
ARIDO Award of Merit
ELEVATING AND ENHANCING THE CLIENT EXPERIENCE
A steady increase in client traffic, coupled with a shortage of conference rooms created a need for a floor that would be devoted to meeting and collaboration space. Unlike the other workplace floors, this new one was to have particular focus on the client experience. The design was to be harmonious with the rest of the facility, yet it needed to be distinctly elevated. The aesthetic should be playful – but not trendy. The mood had to be fun and colorful, but with a level of sophistication.
Google Toronto renovations entailed creating of a conference floor – with centralized reception – auditorium facility for tech talks, large training center and multi-functional meeting rooms and collaboration spaces.
Instilling a local identity to a global brand was achieved by creation of a graphic programme – by utilizing images that evoke Ontario wilderness. (on elevator lobby shot – those blue doors are actually maps of Ontario lakes) see image on the top right. Awards
2016 ARIDO Award of Merit
Location Toronto, Canada
Size 13,000 ft2 | 1,200 m2
Status Completed 2016
Client Google Inc.
GOOGLE WATERLOO
PROMOTING COLLEAGUE CONNECTION
Inspiration for “Waterloo Project” was drawn from freeways as a medium for connecting workers to colleagues both near and far, while providing connections to basic human needs like food, rest, and shelter. Employing scenic routes as an example, the freeway can also serve as a destination onto itself with activity nodes present along the route.
The project itself posed a unique challenge. Located in a historic multi-building site that had been merged into a single complex through multiple renovations, the client was looking for much more than just a superficial fit-up.
Our team rose to the challenge and proposed an adaptive reuse of the space that not only addressed the client’s needs, but also tackled the complications posed by the building’s unique structure. This included the demolition of a floor that didn’t align with the others, the pouring of two new slabs to accommodate this removal, and the installation of elevators, a grand staircase, and new exterior entrances.
These additions were done in cooperation with the architecture side of our firm. By combining the expertise of both interior design and base-building architecture experts, we were able to meet the full scope of the client’s needs. This type of cross-collaboration allowed our interior design team to leverage the expertise of their peers to create unique time and cost saving synergies.
This client also desired a highly sustainable space. We were able to help the team implement sustainable solutions within the projects, such as a green walls , LED lights, bike friendly spaces, strict adherence to environmentally friendly product/furniture standards, and landscaping features.
Awards
ARIDO Award of Excellence 2016
CaGBC Innovation in LEED Award, Commercial Interiors 2017
Location Waterloo, Canada
Size 100,000 ft2 | 9,290 m2
Status Completed 2015
Client Google Inc.
DESIGNING BEYOND THE OFFICE
This project is being custom designed and built for the International Hi-tech Company by Industrial Park of Suzhou Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. The site is located at southeast corner of SIS Park and upon completion, will be used as its’s R&D centre as well as house their other related business functions. Phase I of the project can accommodate 1,500 people, with Phase II doubling that capacity to 3,000 people in total. The project comprises a series of new amenities, and will be integrated with existing buildings in SIS Park. The Master Plan layout has the plot defined as three individual units, with the west building being proposed for Phase I and the remaining two buildings earmarked for Phase II. Three staggered podiums on ground level help define the three public areas, including a west courtyard housing the Envisioning Center, which celebrates arrival to the campus with a generous drop-off area. A secluded courtyard on the north will blend the campus with the existing landscape and enlarge the central green axis, which runs east-west through the park, providing a green pedestrian entrance. Finally, the north courtyard will also house sports facilities, which may include a soccer field and basketball court.
Location Jiangsu, China
Size 506,000 ft2 | 47,000 m2
Status Completed 2017
Client Tech Company
SHINING LIGHT ON THE INTELLIGENT WORKPLACE
The Olympic Rainforest and the Cascade Rainshadow are products of the two mountain ranges that flank the Puget Sound Region and are as diverse as they are distinct. Within a few hundred miles of each other, one is characterized by tall evergreen trees, trailing mosses, fallen trees and filtered light - while the other features open views, deep gorges, caves, and large expanses of open land dotted with barns and silos. Our design concept explored effects of light, form and materiality interpreted through these lenses incorporating features that reference human activity and adaptation to these regions.
B+H approached this challenge with the same fundamental question we ask before any design engagement, “how can we optimize this space to create a desirable human experience?” Simply placing team workspaces and supporting spaces along perimeter windows would have left tens of thousands of unusable square feet in the center of the buildings. The only way to bring these buildings up to the clients’ rigorous standards and to provide an engaging, inspiring workspace was to bring natural light deep into the interiors, and in a big way.
Location Washington, USA
Size 398,000 ft2 I 36,975 m2
Status Completed 2018
Client Tech Company
HENKEL CANADA CORPORATE OFFICE
BALANCING TOGETHER
YET SEPARATE
The corporate offices of Henkel Canada are designed to house their three Canadian divisions under one single brand, in one location. As well, a key objective was to apply global brand standards to the Toronto office. The new standards apply to the physical space, types of finishes and furniture. Henkel’s vision for its new offices is one in which the space and amenity needs of the component divisions are met while shared resources are centralized, creating greater efficiency and enabling knowledge sharing between employees. Accordingly, separate spaces were created for Henkel Canada’s three divisions to address their particular needs (for example, the adhesives division has a direct connection to a lab space used for continual testing), while a central core and circulation spine were used to connect areas used by all employees. These common areas include conferencing, informal meeting, staff facilities, and a large lunchroom. The design also maximizes access to light and views by locating the private offices on the interior and the workstations that are used by the majority of staff in the open area with direct access to natural light.
Location Mississauga, Canada
Size 60,000 ft2 | 5,574 m2
Status Completed 2012
Client Henkel Canada
COLLABORATIVE SPACES FOR INSPIRED PERFORMANCE
Roblox is a top ranked international on-line education, entertainment and technology gaming platform in the world!
We collaborated with Roblox to design their new offices located in Vancouver BC. One Bentall Centre. Open concept and technology drive the design of the office space where staff are able to communicate & collaborate.
A large social kitchen will F&B amenities provides the opportunity for team building. Stained wood paneling and polished concrete floors compliment the translucent light fixtures and signage. An open plenum ceiling with a suspended trellis delineates the social and circulation space from the open workspaces. A variety of meeting rooms provide IT and A/V capabilities for international virtual team meetings.
Roblox’s office space reflects on their culture of “bringing the world together”, Powering Imagination for an audience who produces their own immersive multiplayer experience!
Location Vancouver, BC
Size 5,800 ft2 I 539 m2
Status Completed 2021
Client Roblox
TEINE ENERGY
DESIGN ROOTED IN LOCAL PRIDE
Striving to find a unified and expanded environment, Teine Energy will be relocating their head quarters to a new office location.
With proud Albertan roots, their offices will reflect an environment that speaks to their core business.
Prairie landscape components and natural colour provides inspiration throughout the office; silhouettes and metallic linework of oil derricks, drill stems and pump jacks translate into strong angles in the Teine Energy space.
Steadfast and solid materials are selected to provide a link to Alberta’s energy heritage. Contrast and diffused lighting softened with back-lit glazing treatments are layered in order to ease the impact, offering a gentler contrast of materials.
An interconnecting stair-well will provide internal circulation and communication throughout the office spaces that will promote movement, energy and relationships; statement about what Teine Energy is all about: energy, technology, Unity and history.
Location Calgary, Alberta
Size 28,000 ft2 I 2,601 m2
Status Completed 2020
Client Teine Energy
The Post Atrium, Vancouver, Canada
RESEARCH & APPLICATION
RESEARCH & APPLICATION
Drivers for Change
Aggressive Cost Reduction
Propositions
Results
Do More with Less
• Reduce first-cost
• Reduce real estate
• Reduce churn/life-cycle costs
• Faster decision making, and organizational learning
• Adaptability re: headcount changes
• Flexibility re: changing work styles
• Greater workplace satisfaction
• Greater connection to the Brand
SAMPLE RESEARCH
Project Outlook and Insights
B+H Benchmarking Canadian Metrics
B+H currently benchmarks North American and Global trends measuring employee density and support metrics. These are key drivers in determining efficiency and appropriateness of final real estate decisions.
Global trends
• Allocation of space, per function. One size does not fit all.
• Consideration, of a single size office.
• Flexible space, less formal meeting space and more collaboration area.
• Shared amenities, no token gestures.
• Budget focus on Technology and IT.
• Focus on comfort, and the ability to work anywhere at anytime.
• Libraries being reduced or phased out.
Percentage breakdown of average legal practice
Area per Fee Earner
Support-to-Fee Earner Ratio
Aspirational Measured
ADVANCE STRATEGY
At B+H we help our clients not only do things right, but do the right things. Our Advance Strategy advisory practice connects business and organizational goals and objectives with optimized solutions – at a workplace, building and portfolio level – systemically and transparently.
Vision
As a global firm founded in Canada, we bring a unique perspective to our projects. Enterprise Vision has helped our clients increase core business market share by 20%.
Workplace Strategy
Workplace Strategy 1.0 introduces and designs appropriate progressive workplace overlays to meet benchmarking objectives and optimize your footprint. We then connect your workplace change opportunities to real financial models – identifying the ROI and delivering actionable solutions and predicted results.
Development Solution
Development Solutions focuses on building smart demand models and overlaying supply to plan superior building programs. We connect user trends, technical innovation and market supply data to development scenarios –identifying highest and best use solutions, whilst future proofing proposals.
Sustainability
As national members of the United Nations Environment Programme on Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiatives, we are able to work with the broader construction industry around the world to promote the vision and lessons learned in Canada. Our approach is to keep it simple: use local, well researched materials; push building envelope design improvements and increase thermal performance; use natural ventilation and passive solar heating; encourage green roofs and focus on daylighting and energy efficient lighting systems. Last but certainly not least, bind a functional, straight-forward technology to pleasing, innovative architectural design solutions.
Performance
The Advance Strategy team works seamlessly across the B+H organization at a global level, integrating strategic planning results with end-to-end services – ensuring successful results, nothing lost in translation.
Functional Programming
Programming occurs on every project, utilizing both high level and deep dive analysis. Our team works on the executive level, and hands-on with the users refining both their needs and their wants. B+H has a series of effective tools to spark conversations and excite change. The outcome is measurable, and is weighed against our clients’ real estate asset to determine efficiency, adjacencies, and work flow.
Capital Financial
Our firm understands and supports your internal processes with validated and transparent information. We consider all factors in capital investment and depreciation (including leasehold improvements, FF&E) in the development of your solution.
Uber Canada Headquarters, Toronto, Canada
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PRINCIPALS OUR LEADERS
Patrick Fejér CEO
Mark Berest Principal, Toronto
Simone Casati Principal | Director of Interior Design, Shanghai
Jerry Chlebowski Principal, Toronto
Jeff Cogliati Principal, Toronto
Michele Cohen Principal, Healthcare, Toronto
Barry Day Principal | Asia Design Director, Planning & Landscape
Stephen Herscovitch Principal, Toronto
Tom Hook Principal | Global Director, Planning & Landscape
Andrew Humphreys Principal | Director, Healthcare
Holly Jordan Principal, MENA
Bruce Knapp Principal, Healthcare, Toronto
Coco Lin Principal, Shanghai
Stephanie Maignan Principal, Toronto
Paul Morissette Principal | Global Director, CHIL
Stephanie Panyan Principal | Interior Design Director, Toronto
Thomas Quigley Global Healthcare Lead
Adèle Rankin Principal | Global Lead, CHIL
Stéphane Raymond Principal, Toronto
Franca Rezza Principal, Toronto
Sonny Sanjari Principal, MENA
Mario Sarandi Principal, Toronto
Warren Schmidt Principal, Vancouver
Sam Shou Principal, Shanghai
Gail Shillingford Principal, Planning & Landscape, Toronto
David Stavros Principal | Senior Director of Design
Susanna Swee Executive Vice-President, Asia
Macquinn Victoria Principal, Toronto
Luca Visentin Principal, Toronto
Celine Wang Principal, Shanghai
400+ STAFF ACROSS 8 STUDIOS WORLDWIDE
VANCOUVER
SEATTLE
AMERICASASIA
Toronto
320 Bay Street
Suite 200
Toronto, ON
M5H 4A6
Canada
T +1 416 596 2299
Vancouver
400 - 1706 West 1st Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6J 0E4
Canada
T +1 604 685 9913
Seattle 920 5th Avenue, Suite 600
Seattle, WA
98104
United States
T +1 206 582 2875
Shanghai 19F, Crystal Tower
No.68, Yuyuan Road
Shanghai 200040
China
T +86 21 3360 7861
Hong Kong
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