Project Category: Office Interiors

Univeris is a cutting-edge wealth management company that provides services to the Canadian financial and banking sectors. For their new and expanded headquarters in downtown Toronto, we renovated a 12,000-sf timber loft space by exposing the existing structure, wood roof decking, and original windows. The objective was to reveal and accentuate the building’s historical features while bringing a minimalist approach to new design elements like furniture, lighting, colour, and office and communal space layouts. 

The design of the anteroom was inspired by the company’s logo, a nebula — a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. We manifested this with a custom design for curvilinear bands of long, horizontal steel bars that enclose the anteroom like a “swirl.” The nebula fulfills a security mandate while remaining semi-open to the rest of the office via the spaces between the steel bands. 

This notion of semi-openness and layering is a recurring theme throughout the larger design. The enclosed office spaces feature glass divider walls with translucent films that let in light and maintain a sense of visual openness and communication with the rest of the plan while also providing privacy. We designed for spatial efficiency while providing enough room between workstations so that staff members have a sufficient personal radius around their desks. By minimizing the number of closed private offices and placing the workstations around the perimeter adjacent to large exterior windows, we prioritized access to natural light and its penetration deeper into the plan.

Located in east-end Toronto, Magenta Health is an innovative family medicine clinic that prioritizes the delivery of high-quality care. An online booking system, digital check-ins, and the digital recording and sharing of information help staff reduce wait times and optimize efficient and effective services that centre patients and their needs. 

Our team was retained to execute a program that includes a waiting room, reception desk, workstations, and 10 exam rooms. Our design prioritizes functional space planning, with the exam rooms strategically placed along the perimeter, creating a clear and direct circulation path. Workstations are integrated within the corridors to make use of space that is adjacent to the exam rooms. 

Wayfinding is an integral component of the design and the activation of Magenta Health’s brand. 
True to its eponymous name, the branding is characterized by a saturated pink. We used oversized magenta numbers on the floor and walls to identify exam rooms and help direct staff and patient traffic. Pink and black bands extend from the large floral logo in the reception area, creating a soothing datum throughout the clinic. The magenta logo — an eye-catching contrast to the bright white surfaces — is visible through the window from the street.

Situated on the ground floor of a condominium tower along the vibrant urban shores of Lake Ontario, this light-filled dental clinic spans two stories and represents the second collaboration between Bortolotto and Lakeshore Dental. We prioritized the use of natural materials to cultivate a warm and inviting environment for both new and returning patients and capitalized on colourful accents and natural light to infuse the space with energy and brightness. 

Spanning over 2,100 sf across two floors, the clinic includes a reception area, a consult room, a sterilization room, and four operatories on the first level, and an office, staff room, and two additional rooms for medical procedures on the second level. Accommodating the necessary plumbing requirements for the installation of operatories, sinks, and equipment required careful consideration and meticulous planning to navigate the underground parking garage during construction. 

The clinic’s central design feature is a new staircase that consists of wood, steel stringers, glass handrails, and stainless-steel detailing — materials that are woven throughout the rest of the space. Linking the first and second floors, the staircase is a vehicle for literal and metaphorical connection — a way to circulate in the space, an opportunity for human interactions, and a way to maintain sightlines and openness between the two levels. Double-height glazing brings in abundant natural light, casting illumination across the airy space and natural finishes. The workspaces are clean and bright, with touches of colour and wood to add vitality and tactility. 

Our design prioritized the wellness of the Lakeshore Dental team and their patients by maintaining a balance between programmatic and functional requirements and aesthetics, staff and visitor comfort, and views to the outdoors.