When the plaza is completed in 2024, the complex will have two towers, 50 and 49 stories, respectively, and more than three million square feet of floor space.
When British architect Dominic Bettison visited Toronto for the first time in 2013, saw a lot of Mies: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, of course. The mid-century master’s rectangular glass and steel designs have had a major influence on the city’s skyline for generations. The banking district, home to the black towers of Mies van der Rohe’s TD Center, is no exception.
Bettison had a different exterior aesthetic in mind when his London-based firm, WilkinsonEyre, was contracted to design CIBC’s new headquarters in the city center in 2013. “I wanted to create something that reflected the surrounding environment of dynamic way,” says Bettison. Among the imposing and featureless facades now stands a lighter and more expressive effort: CIBC Square.
The South Building lobby features 75-foot ceilings, abundant travertine limestone, and original artwork by Toronto artist Steve Driscoll. The piece’s glass panels represent supersaturated images of Canada’s tall treetops.
When completed in 2024, the complex will have two towers, 50 and 49 stories, respectively, and more than three million square feet of floor space. The shorter south tower, completed last year, is already an architectural starting point for the city center: the diamond-shaped blue glass cutouts on its exterior reflect sunlight in colors that change with the time of day. day. Older bank buildings outwardly resemble fortifications of finance (huge and inward-facing), but CIBC Square will open up to the city. Its public services include a large square on the ground floor, an exclusive restaurant, a food hall and a cafeteria.
This oak-adorned space is intended for activities that support reconciliation with indigenous communities. Its design was created with the Indigenous Design Studio at Toronto architecture firm Brook McIlroy and is inspired by Anishinaabe teaching lodges.
Of course, this is still an office building. Recently, more than 19,000 CIBC employees, once spread across 18 locations, began spending their nine-to-five and hybrid work lives here. “It’s not just about the desks and chairs anymore,” says Veni Iozzo, executive vice president of CIBC, of Square’s non-hierarchical design.
And that means no offices. Instead, the workspaces are divided into three-story ecosystems linked by stairs and filled with meeting rooms and plenty of non-fluorescent natural light. For workers who need quiet time, each ecosystem has its own library floor for quiet work, complete with adjustable privacy panels and dimmable lighting.
“Before, our team went to the office by default,” says Iozzo. “Now, we go to the office for activities that are best done in person, like training and social connection. This space issigned for our new world of work with no strings attached.”
This article appears in print in the july 2022 matter of Maclean’s magazine. Subscribe to the monthly print magazine hereor buy the number online here.