Located in the tower of I.M. Pei since 1994, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) wanted to ensure its 1,000 head office employees worked under one roof. The BDC now occupies more than 16,000 sq m (173,000 sq ft).
A legacy of the modern period, office towers are typically composed of a series of horizontal spaces with little inter-floor connection. The deployment of the BDC on seven levels is an opportunity to propose an alternative system that defines spacious, bright, and vertically interconnected collaborative workspaces. By introducing double-height spaces and internal stair connections, employees are reunited through a vertical axis that becomes the daily mode of travel, connects different departments, and supports various social activities.
Orchestrated as a socio-spatial device, the new architectural staircase becomes the geographic, social, and symbolic heart of the BDC. As a place of gathering and chance encounters, the staircase unfolds from floor to floor and anchors programmatic elements specific to each department. It changes the sociability of departments according to their location in the tower, moving from a more public program on the ground floor to spaces suitable for concentrated work on the sixth floor.
The project focuses on spatial transparency, immersion in a cityscape rich in natural and urban landmarks, and the use of symbolically significant Canadian materials, such as maple and aluminium to ensure both the durability and the perennity of the design.
Structured in five phases of construction, this complex project was carried out in a dense urban context while remaining functional.