Page 40 - Designing Ways 243

SITTING
COMFORTABLY

Sodexo Montréal: Quality of Life Spaces

Montréal, Canada

’Ab ri and Vives St-Laurent present The open plan takes advantage of the
their vision for the workspace of high ceilings and large openings. The
Lthe future with the completion of offices are set up on the window side,
the new Sodexo Montréal office. Based while all meeting rooms still benefit
on common values, both promoted by from the generous supply of natural
designers and clients, the project puts light. The surface treatment reveals the
forward the concept of Quality of Life original brick walls, mill floor, and wood
Spaces. This design concept is based on structure. The choice of furniture, light
wellness, flexibility, innovation, and the and neutral, complements the richness of
importance of the human and social the wood. The closed rooms, lined with
character of our workplaces. It emphasises felt, rugs, and curtains in warmer and
a dynamic organisation of spaces and darker colours, provide an environment
working environments, a minimalist and conducive to concentration. The sober yet
warm design, as well as special attention warm design gives the project a human
to the comfort and health of users. and professional signature.
Entirely completed in 2020, the concept implementation of plug-and-play ports
is proving particularly resilient to face the Work, flexibility, and innovation throughout the office. This flexibility
challenges revealed by the pandemic. The The spaces of the Sodexo project and enhanced comfort for the users is
project was carried out in design-build are declined as a series of modules supported by technology to generate
with Construction Modulor. offering moments to work, collaborate, a dynamic environment. Movement is
concentrate, socialise, cook, meditate and encouraged between height-adjustable
Identity, design, and materiality learn. The open concept design encourages workstations, various sizes of video-
The project occupies a large space within equality, sharing, and movement. Boxed conference rooms, or quiet spots with a
the Dompark complex, an industrial volumes for meeting rooms and focus direct network connection, such as a desk
building built in 1908 directly on the edge pods punctuate the space and increase facing the large windows overlooking the
of the Lachine Canal in Montréal. The the opportunities for different working canal. At the heart of the project, the large
proposed layout highlights the intrinsic environments. Fundamental to the dining room and the professional kitchen
qualities of the century-old construction. project, flexibility is facilitated by the serves as a multifunctional space that can

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