Office Snapshots » Toronto

HudBay Minerals Inc. Offices

Stephen Searer — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:00:20 +0000

HudBay Minerals is a Canadian mining company focused on the discovery, production and marketing of base and precious metals. With the economy in the dump and gold and other minerals at record levels, I wish I were them. Also, this is our first multi-national mineral company office submission.

In their new LEED Silver headquarters, HudBay Minerals decided to integrate some of their trade into the office by mounting pure zinc ingots, stamped with the company logo on the wall adjacent the elevator. As with many of the design companies we’ve seen, showing clients and potential customers something your company has produced can be a wonderful asset in the office.

“The design was inspired by images from the company’s extensive photo library, ranging from the mining of the raw materials to the smelting processes and the finished products. Over the years, these processes have been carefully documented, producing an archive of stunning photographs that evoke the work of Ed Burtynsky and Jesse Bolles.

The ceiling is composed of panels of recycled spun aluminum, whose open cells allow light from above to filter through. This also evokes the netting that wraps the ceilings of the mines.

Stepping into the reception area, a dramatic view of the skyline of Toronto is framed on one side by three freestanding stone walls that define a large meeting room, and on the other by a commissioned installation by Toronto artist Dennis Lin. The walls are comprised of rough split face stone, inspired by a HudBay photo of vertical cliffs that have been hewn from the rock, while the art piece of copper and walnut evokes both the strata of the earth and the sinuous line of copper as it is poured into moulds in the company’s foundries. Suspended above the seating area, a custom sized “Mercury” light fixture from Artemide by Ross Lovegrove evokes droplets of molten metal.

A rich burned orange colour is used for both fabrics and back painted glass at coffee stations. This was inspired by the colour of molten copper. In place of a more traditional corporate art programme, Taylor Smyth collaborated with Darren Alexander, an art curator, to select actual photos from the HudBay archives, which have been blown up and line the walls of the building’s core.

The concrete structure of the base building has been left exposed, broken up by expanses of acoustic wood ceiling. Offices and workstations are fabricated of teak panels and glass.”

Design – Taylor Smyth Architects | Photography - Ben Rahn/A-Frame

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Teehan+Lax Offices

Stephen Searer — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:00:22 +0000

Teehan+Lax is an interactive design agency in Toronto that focuses on user experience design and digital marketing. Some of their clients include: Virgin Mobile Canada, Bell, Air Miles, John Hancock, and The Toronto Star.

The offices are located in Liberty Village and are quite superb. They were designed by Roy Banse Design. As you can see, the space is very expansive, with many workstations for the company’s employee base. Desks are arranged in several configurations located throughout the space, and presumably house different teams or departments. Employee workstations are fairly standard for the creative industry, though these actually offer storage, something it seems most creative offices leave out.

The common areas and conference spaces are amazing. The large couch ‘U’ is a very unique element that gives people a nice space for informal brainstorming meetings without the formality of a tabled conference space. However, their enclosed conference space is a wonderful space and focal point for the entrance.

The office also have a great feel to it. Exposed brick of differing shades as well as large wooden beams that are mixed with less organic and more modern elements provide some visual stimulus. The lighting, especially the halo fixtures add a nice touch as well.

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Mozilla Toronto – Office Update 2

Stephen Searer — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Just when you thought Mozilla’s Toronto offices were the most boring/messy space north of the 49th parallel, they went ahead and renovated the office.

As you can see, the space is much more colorful, with actual workstations for employees rather than masses of tables. Another improvement is the addition of track lighting to counteract harsh fluorescents. They have also added a number of collaborative zones using whiteboards, chalkboards, and video conferencing. The space is also outfitted with a number of Steelcase Leap Chairs and Think Chairs.

(click images to enlarge, left/right to navigate)

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IMAGE CREDIT: Images snapped by flickr user menros.

PRODUCTS: Seating: Steelcase – Think Chair, Leap Chair.

Find out if Mozilla is hiring and see what employees are saying:
Mozilla Jobs, Mozilla Salary, Mozilla Reviews, Mozilla Interview Questions

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Google’s Toronto Office

Stephen Searer — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:00:00 +0000

As we’ve shown before, Google offices are typically some of the most extravagant, fun, and energizing spaces seen in today’s work world. Their Toronto office, while not as large or sprawling as their Mountainview, Zurich or Stockholm offices, it is still of the same flavor and spirit.

You of course see their famous cafeteria areas that boast free employee meals, and a wonderful play area complete with foosball, video games, and upside-down umbrellas. The workstations as cubes, but not so high as to feel trapped or isolated. Google employees also are very skilled at making their work spaces their own, though not quite as good as Zappos employees. The office also features many recycled elements from the doors and other wooden features, to the Google logo that is sprawling along the ceiling.

Naturally, the office is colorful, complete with the live search screen, but the space also has some elements that bring Canada’s culture into the office like their old chairs from the Montreal Forum. Overall, Google’s Toronto office is another great one.

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IMAGE CREDIT: Images taken by flickr users mathewingram and mattbraga.

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Mozilla Toronto – Office Update

Stephen Searer — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

We visited Mozilla’s Toronto Office a couple years ago, and it seems like they have improved the space quite a bit. While still very sparse and plain, it is much more full and lively. Mozilla seems to have done some hiring since then, and naturally added some new things. The kitchen has grown, the place has gotten a little messier, walls have been taken out, and there are many more monitors and workstations.

I wonder what these employees think when they see Mozilla’s Mountain View offfice?

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IMAGE CREDIT: Images taken by beltzner.

Find out if Mozilla is hiring and see what employees are saying:
Mozilla Jobs, Mozilla Salary, Mozilla Reviews, Mozilla Interview Questions

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