A Canadian REIT’s “Dream” Office

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Natalie Grasso Cockrell
Natalie Grasso Cockrell
Natalie is a Workplace Consultant at Herman Miller and the former Editor of Work Design Magazine. She’s currently based in Pittsburgh.

This new Toronto space shows off what’s possible for other tenants.

Dream-03
Image courtesy of figure3.

Dream Office REIT is a Canadian real estate investment trust that owns 24.1 million square feet of space in urban areas across Canada. When it came time to design their new space in Scotia Plaza — an iconic downtown Toronto tower — Dream turned to the workplace designers at figure3.

“The design challenge was to create a space that reflects the company culture of Dream Office REIT, while at the same time show what’s possible for prospective tenants at Scotia Plaza,” said Tamarisk Saunders, figure3’s communications manager. “Dream has some 200,000 square feet of space to lease in the building, so their office is as much a case study of what can be done as it is home for the business.”

Scroll to see photos and learn more about the project.

Image courtesy of figure3.
Image courtesy of figure3.

What is the address of the project?

40 King Street West, Toronto

Who was the building architect?

WZMH Architects

Who was the interior architect/designer?

figure3

Image courtesy of figure3.
Image courtesy of figure3.

When was the project completed?

November 2015

What is the total square footage?

22,500 square feet

How many total employees are there and what is the daily population?

130

Is any part of the space unassigned? If so, how much?

There is 4,712 square feet of unassigned space that includes the board room, meeting rooms, teaming areas, and lunch room.

Image courtesy of figure3.
Image courtesy of figure3.

Tell us about the office’s proximity to public transportation and other amenities.

With over 40 quality shops and services available and a 550 seat international food court, the tenants of Scotia Plaza have direct access to a wide selection of amenities without having to leave the building. And with Scotia Plaza’s central location on Toronto’s PATH system, tenants are conveniently connected to a world of transit, shopping, dining and entertainment options.

Scotia Plaza child care facility has capacity for 60 children available on-site. Ages accepted range from infant to five years for full or part-time care.

The building itself is directly above the King Street TTC subway stop and is in the heart of Toronto’s business and finance district.

Which furniture brands/dealers were used?

Teknion and Herman Miller

Image courtesy of figure3.
Image courtesy of figure3.

How is the company’s brand reflected in the space?

Custom graphics throughout the space reflect the company’s fun, collaborative and open work place culture.

Scotia Plaza’s distinctive sawtooth design was innovative at a time it was built — the ’80s — when corner offices were all the rage; about 22 of them are possible on each floor, owing to that jagged edge. Most buildings are able to accommodate about eight, typically.

But a wealth of corner offices obstructs the stunning views and nor is it a fit with the company’s culture. As an organization, they are far less hierarchical. Dream’s space takes Scotia Plaza’s original design brilliance and works it to its advantage with today’s office standards.

What is the most unique feature of the new space?

The view. Typical occupiers in this building have favored reserving the views for the wealth of corner offices this unique floor plate offers. Dream Office REIT’s new layout puts the view front and center from almost every vantage point.

Image courtesy of figure3.
Image courtesy of figure3.

If the company moved out of a previous space, what was the hardest aspect of change for people?

Dream Office REIT shared office space with Dream Global REIT and the two groups outgrew the space they shared with Dream Unlimited and Dream Industrial at 30 Adelaide St E, a Dream-owned building where they’d been for a decade.

In addition, one of its tenants there, IFDS (a sister company to State Street Financial), needed more room so they decided to move into Scotia Plaza — a building they owned and had 200,000 square feet of vacancy to fill.

Moving into the building and re-imaging the space powerfully highlights what’s possible to any prospective tenants.

 

 

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