In response to its growth over the years and the evolving needs of its workforce, Scotiabank — one of Canada’s largest financial institutions — sought to create a new environment for its employees that “appreciates and leverages diversity to innovate, motivate, and build a performance-oriented culture”. A new environment that would be a matured expression of the Scotiabank brand and establish for them a global workplace strategy. The result is Scotiabank North, a new extension of the bank’s downtown Toronto campus located at Bay Adelaide North.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Engagement
Designing entirely new spaces for the Scotiabank ecosystem was a collaborative process largely conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic. From the project’s inception, equitable and democratic design guidelines encompassing inclusion, accessibility, health, and wellness were emphasized. All 14 floors display a meticulously and thoughtfully crafted evolution with input from Scotiabank’s design team, employees, and team of consultants.
Through extensive user engagement workshops aimed at understanding the culture of Scotiabank and the design elements that would enhance their way of working, employees were able to actively participate in shaping the office’s features, visual expression, and functionality. The inclusive spirit of this project is evident in the finished product: a warm and welcoming workplace tailored to employees’ needs, fostering in them a sense of ownership.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Creating third spaces
Working with the concept of “hosting your employees,” the project team seamlessly integrated third spaces on several floors in the building and envisioned spaces and amenities unique to Scotiabank North. Like the second-floor mezzanine, imagined as a convenient drop-off point for employee packages and deliveries; the reflection and personal care room on the third floor; a fully furnished terrace, and an art gallery on the 10th and 11th floor.
On multi-tenant floors, the team designed small entryway lounges — “front porches” — to give staff and clients landing on these floors a shared space for arrival and a sense of place within the larger whole.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Spaces for connection and socialization in Scotiabank North were given just as much attention as workstations, and to maximize access to natural light for all employees, there are more open interior spaces than there are perimeter offices. The third floor, fittingly named “North Commons,” houses a grab-and-go coffee shop (“North Bean”) and generously sized client lounges, meeting rooms, and eating areas facing windows that offer expansive views, including the city’s much-loved Cloud Gardens. With its variety of seating options — from banquettes upholstered in Bespoke Stripe by Paul Smith for Maharam, and individual lounge chairs and coffee tables by Bolia to communal tables local furniture designer Mary Ratcliffe Studio — the third floor is a flexible hub for team meetings, town halls, gatherings, and office events, or to catch up with colleagues visiting from other Scotiabank locations.

Level 03 plan.

Employee-centered, Client-focused
Elevating the employee experience was crucial to Scotiabank North’s design, and so was crafting memorable experiences for the bank’s clients. Establishing continuity in materiality and experience throughout the stack was tantamount and underpins the project goal of democratically deploying design across all business lines, while subtly modifying some elements to provide differentiation between lines. The North Commons, meeting rooms, a private dining room, lounges on executive floors, and even reception areas were created to be hospitality-driven spaces for both employees and clients.
For example, a client visiting a Scotiabank North executive will arrive on the 10th floor and be seated in a small lounge by the reception desk as they await their host or an executive support staff. Prior to their meeting, the client will get the chance to take in the art displayed along the art corridor. Depending on the meeting’s nature, the client may be taken to the private dining room for lunch or dinner, to a meeting room on another floor, to the boardroom, or even to the terrace.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Activity-based working
Central to Scotiabank’s culture is activity-based working (ABW) — a workplace strategy where employees have the freedom to choose where and how they work based on the nature of their tasks. As such, flexibility is an integral part of Scotiabank North’s design, with floor plans, furniture, and technology chosen to accommodate the diverse work styles and programmatic requirements of the bank’s various business lines, from trading floors and corporate banking to asset management and group treasury.
To balance the intensity of Scotiabank’s day-to-day banking, investment and trading activities with more serene spaces that encourage teamwork and interaction and support “heads-down” work, the team designed a variety of workspaces suited for different tasks. There are work studios, meeting rooms, hoteling desks, private offices, and quiet zones available throughout the building.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Hospitality-driven workplace design
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, ideas of what a workplace could look and feel like started to change. To better engage Scotiabank’s employees, attract new talent to the office and host clients onsite, the team took inspiration from hospitality when designing Scotiabank North. They created spaces that integrate art in a meaningful way, employ high-quality materials, and prioritize human-centered design.
In addition to the North Bean, select floors at Scotiabank North are connected through coffee points and bistros. From floors six to nine, there are bistros, each with a different colour scheme and layout, connected by a staircase. Moving up these floors, employees are greeted by communal spaces outfitted with Coalesse bar stools and benches and Bolia armchairs and tables in Scotiabank’s corporate colours, giving each floor its own sense of identity. This fosters interaction between employees, allows for spontaneous exchange, and gives staff a beautiful space to break.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Throughout the building, as in the bistros, the bank’s corporate colours are used in subtle yet intentional and elevated ways — from light fixtures by Lambert & Fils to blue seating by XX — and several aspects of the building’s design — millwork finished in custom walnut stains; bespoke terrazzo tiles; meeting tables and executive furniture created in collaboration with Neinkamper; and area rugs by Urban Fabrics — were customized by KPMB just for Scotiabank North.
Design elements also repeat in unique ways across several floors. In executive lounges, large, fluted glass doors open to welcome clients into intimate anterooms connected to private dining spaces. While in work studios, fluted glass desk partitions separate desks from one another and offer employees privacy. Likewise, the reception desks on select landing floors and the dining table in the private dining room on the 10th floor are both made of Nero Marquina marble.

Photo: doublespace photography.

On the executive floors, the client reception areas are connected via a marble-clad stair that lead to private dining rooms featuring custom marble and bronze dining tables by Neinkamper; a boardroom with a custom white oak table also by Svend surrounded by handsome Andreu World executive chairs; and an antique table from Scotiabank’s original boardroom; lounges with walnut credenzas by Nucraft and leather swivel chairs by XX. On the 10th floor, a private outdoor terrace looks out to the city. Like the interconnected bistros on floors six to nine, floors 11 and 12 are connected to each other via a staircase in their respective lounges.

Photo: doublespace photography.

Art Integration
A dedicated supporter of the arts community in Canada, Scotiabank has rich archives and an impressive Canadian art collection that reflect its commitment to cultivating the power of creativity and honouring history. Working with their internal curator, the team developed a strategy for the display of selected art works that tell the story of Scotiabank.
The open, interconnected and transparent spaces of Scotiabank North are adorned with art. All around the building — in lobbies, reception areas, offices, meeting rooms, bistros, lounges, and the art gallery, a 10ft wide art corridor located on the 10th floor — you’ll find a mix of artwork. There are biophilic graphics showcasing parks and trees from places across the Americas where Scotiabank’s other offices are located, there are murals on walls, there is fine art from the bank’s archives, and there is art created by emerging Canadian artists.
Beyond aesthetics, Scotiabank North represents a holistic approach to modern workplace design and sets new design standards for Scotiabank, establishing a scalable model for its future offices and influencing its global workplace strategy.

Photo: doublespace photography.