One year after relocating its Montreal team to fully redesigned offices on Gary-Carter Street, GKC Architecture & Design reflects on the project to assess its tangible impact on both the firm and the day-to-day experiences of employees.
Conceived as a collaborative, flexible, and human-centered workplace, the project was designed to support the firm’s growth, while responding to evolving work patterns. After a full year of use, the outcomes of this workplace design strategy are now clearly tangible.
A workplace designed to support growth and a sustainable return to the office
In a context of sustained growth, the project was driven by three strategic objectives:
1. Create an inspiring environment to attract new talent.
2. Encourage a long-term return to in-office work through a motivating and functional space.
3. Reflect GKC’s renewed brand identity, rooted in human values of collaboration and innovation.
Since the move, the new offices have enabled every employee to have a dedicated workstation, while accommodating approximately fifteen additional team members in Montreal—an expansion that would have been impossible in the previous space. This new configuration has reinforced in-office presence, supporting an internal policy targeting roughly 80% on-site work.
Design that supports collaboration, focus, and well-being
Located in a former industrial building converted by GKC for a client in 2018, the workspace redesign leveraged existing architectural elements, including the original structure and select components that became the foundation of the new concept.
The layout is organized around a generously glazed open work area that maximizes natural light and long sightlines, as well as a central space—the HUB—serving as a true gathering point for informal interactions and collective activities.
Two green walls create an immediate visual impact upon entry, establishing a calming, nature-inspired atmosphere. In the cafeteria, a large counter designed as a residential-style island fosters a welcoming environment that encourages spontaneous interaction and informal use. Employees also have access to two individual quiet rooms where they can pause and recharge as needed. Balance and well-being were core considerations throughout the design process.
The workplace offers a wide variety of spaces tailored to different modes of work: enclosed private offices, meeting and training rooms, open collaborative zones, innovation spaces, and informal gathering areas. Particular attention was given to acoustics and integrated technology to support collaborative, focused, and hybrid work.
Today, sustained use of collaborative rooms and multipurpose spaces has resulted in a higher number of internal training sessions and knowledge-sharing activities—one of the key objectives established in the initial strategy.
Design as an expression of identity
The offices embrace a confident architectural language defined by angular forms, clean lines, and a dark blue and light grey palette—symbols of trust, adaptability, and human connection. The overall aesthetic is both modern and warm, aligning with the industrial and design-driven nature of GKC’s portfolio.
Measurable outcomes confirmed by employees
An internal survey conducted several months after the move confirms a positive reception. Overall satisfaction with the new offices reached a score of 8.28 out of 10, with particularly high ratings for accessibility and circulation, suitability for hybrid work, and the quality of collaborative spaces.
Certain challenges are primarily linked to work habits and have highlighted the importance of supporting the ongoing appropriation of spaces. In particular, the use of dedicated focus rooms to better manage noise in open-plan work areas proved less intuitive than anticipated, reinforcing the role of design as a catalyst for evolving behaviors over time.
These findings illustrate the importance of evaluating a workplace not only at the time of inauguration, but through the daily experience of those who use it—and of continuously refining that experience over time.
“Beyond design intent, it is everyday use that truly validates a project,” says Fernando Lozano, CEO, and Managing Principal at GKC. “These offices were conceived as a living environment, capable of evolving with our team and supporting the way we work.”
Team:
Architects: GKC Architecture & Design
Photographer: Adrien Williams, Tarmac
