Last week Teknion hosted a big party in its new downtown Toronto showroom. Styled the “Collaboration Hub,” the space proved a perfect setting for a celebratory gathering of Toronto’s A&D community along with many of us workplace furnishings outriders. Teknion celebrations are among the best in the business, even for lesser causes, and they spared not a whit on the inauguration of this spectacular new space. The Toronto community responded with such enthusiasm Teknion had to extend the event to two evenings in order to accommodate everyone who wanted to see and be seen.
Those of us who arrived a bit early were treated to the spectacular views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline and got to enjoy the quiet beauty offered by the Fractals Seating Group touchdown spaces along one window wall. Catherine Coulter, Teknion’s corporate accounts manager, told me she uses one of those spaces many times each week – I wondered if she might like to trade.
Floor-to-ceiling windows along three sides in conjunction with a column-free interior and Teknion’s architectural glass wall systems allow an abundance of natural light into all areas of the space. In addition to providing panoramic views of the Toronto skyline and waterfront the combination of window wall and glass demountable wall products demonstrates the latest trend in planning for health and wellbeing; maximizing flexibility in space utilization while also maintaining a sense of transparency and accessibility consistent with the Teknion brand.
The party was fabulous with open bars stocked to the gunnels with anything you might want to drink, but featuring a seemingly endless stock of fine whites and reds from Stratus Vineyards, the ultra-premium Niagara-on-the-Lake winery and boutique owned by David Feldberg. Catering staff festooned in Roots Canada Tee’s and Hudson Bay Company Scarves while keeping the guests well fed and hydrated quietly communicated that we were in Canada. The “Mountie” security officer at the door was perhaps a less subtle a reminder.
Most of the entertainment was provided by a creative DJ, interrupted occasionally by a “percussion tattoo” provided by a drum group known as 416 Beats – the 416 a reference to the downtown Toronto area code.
The evening was great fun, but its purpose was much more serious. Of late the major manufacturers have been investing heavily in showrooms that effectively demonstrate both their products and the ways they can be used to deliver workspaces for “the new way of working.” Such new showrooms have often been aptly renamed to convey something significant about current trends in workplace design. In this regard, Teknion’s new Toronto “Collaboration Hub” is a first rate example. It blends multiple planning styles from the casual modern appeal of an open fluid landscape, to more conservative and formal footprints.
“The Collaboration Hub exhibits the latest thinking in workplace design as we have experienced it in the field, and through the concepts our clients are asking us for in a modern workplace,” said Mr. Feldberg, president & CEO. “Hybrid spaces combine open and closed office strategies to accommodate the many ways that people work today, empowering employees to choose their work setting while encouraging movement and collaboration. The Hub was designed to support health, well-being and sustainability, key factors in creating warm, welcoming and productive workplaces inspired by principles of ethonomics.”
As they have done for many years, Teknion once again engaged Vanderbyl Design, to design the 10,750 square foot (1,000 m²) space. Guests are invited into a spacious lounge area bisected by a substantial bench table that extends the width of the showroom and acts as a central focal point. On either side of the imposing table, a casual meeting area is furnished with comfortable lounge seating in rich colors. The area is also equipped with amenities that include a coffee/wine bar and video wall. Warmed by natural wood flooring and millwork, the elegant space supports multiple functions, including collaborative or touchdown work.
Throughout the Collaboration Hub, guests get to experience Teknion’s latest products used in a thorough demonstration of all the current thinking. Vanderbyl employed a playful color palette in the many textiles and surface materials. A bit of a departure for both Vanderbyl and Teknion the colorful spaces showed a variety of Teknion textiles and products in new and unexpected ways.
The Collaboration Hub provides the Toronto design community with a highly accessible location in the city’s burgeoning Southcore Financial Centre. It is located on the 20th floor of the LEED Gold Bremner Tower at 120 Bremner Boulevard within a stones throw of the CN Tower and, as I’ve said, the Lake Ontario waterfront. Teknion has registered the space with the Canada Green Building Council with the certification goal of LEED-CI Gold. To arrange a tour please call 416.800.0328.
