In 2021, DIAC published its Design Impacts Framework to demonstrate how positive design interventions in Placemaking can be assessed and measured. In the third phase of this research, DIAC is applying the Framework to projects in other disciplines.
LCBO
LCBO’s vision for their new head office was that it should be a catalyst to support new ways of working, provide employees a universal experience inclusive of choice and autonomy, while allowing for long-term business flexibility and variable occupancy demands.
To achieve this vision, LCBO required a transformative and comprehensive change to their workplace occupancy strategy and workplace location. The location and quality of premises needed to clearly align with their brand as a progressive employer in the marketplace for attraction and retention. While the decision to consolidate to one location, brought all head office employees together to establish a shared employee experience in an optimized, modernized and digitally enabled workplace.
The opportunity to relocate to a new 175,000 square foot head office located at 100 Queens Quay East in Toronto’s south core enabled the alignment of LCBO’s strategic vision with the physical space and employee experience. This supported LCBO’s core business principles of inclusivity, collaboration, sustainability, technology enablement and community.
LCBO’s agile and scalable workplace solution incorporated global best practices to increase functionality through strategic business adjacencies, improved and increased collaboration, a balance of focus and team spaces, choice of a variety of formal and informal work settings as well as large multi-purpose gathering spaces and technical environments such as their tasting lab to support day-to-day business operations.
Both business and physical digitization were important fundamental changes to the organization. Technology-enabled spaces established greater access and flexibility for how work could be performed and influenced greater adoption of new space technologies. The shift to digital workflows would also result in more business efficiency and positive environmental impacts resulting from reduced paper, filing and storage requirements.
In addition to digitization, LCBO’s decision to move to a new LEED Platinum office building represented numerous sustainability and well-being advantages. Modern floor plates & systems helped reduce the overall carbon footprint and offered best-in-class environmental conditions. The location offers ample natural light with incredible views from all facades of the building including Lake Ontario and the site will soon feature an expansive 2-acre public park which, upon completion, will contribute to outdoor accessibility.
Social well-being is further supported by the overall office design which meets or exceeds the most current health & safety requirements, with multi-purpose areas to support learning & development, community engagement and social programs as well as gender neutral barrier free washrooms and wellness rooms for employees.
After a year of occupying 100 Queens Quay East, the LCBO is realizing the many benefits of their new workplace including enhanced collaboration across the organization, a digital environment which supports hybrid work, and the ability to attract and retain employees.
