written by Valerie Hesse and Jessie Smith
On the day of the election, with the newly opened light rail station close by, CSV will start work at our new space at 190 O’Connor. This renovation, like all CSV projects, was created in 3 key phases – Listen, Design, and Deliver. In the first blog about our move, we discussed the ‘Listening’ phase, this time it’s the second phase – Design!
Collaboration
Creating a space to meet the requirements of a team of designers takes a lot of collaboration. After gathering staff feedback in the first phase, the steering committee and design team worked through multiple iterations of the layout and presented the layouts to staff for feedback at key opportunities. Staff input was also gathered for incorporation of artwork throughout the space. The design board was created and shared with staff at the CSV Family BBQ over the summer and the excitement started gathering steam.
The new office will provide staff with greater opportunity to work in different ways. A vast increase in collaboration spaces will provide greater flexibility. Because we’re a firm with designers we also needed to make sure there is lots of space to work with drawings. Height adjustable desks will enable a healthier approach to office work, and for the cyclists in the office we’re providing indoor secure bike storage. Special consideration was given to incorporating live plants throughout.
Our design board for 190 O’Connor Street
Serious about sustainability
At CSV we take sustainability seriously. Our main goal was to move to a workplace that reflects our mission, to “provide sustainable, accessible space through meaningful Architectural design and collaborative discussion”. We wanted to ensure the office environment continues to reflect the values of the firm and provides a space that promotes employee well-being.
Here are some of the highlights of the renovation:
We’re targeting Fitwel – Two Stars Certification in the Commercial Interior Space Pathway. The certification addresses a broad range of health and wellness areas through evidence-based design operational strategies.
The feature wood slat ceiling is made from FSC Certified wood
Workstation furniture is all GreenGuard certified and made from FSC Certified wood
Our new kitchen table is locally crafted using reclaimed maple
Feature light fixtures are all LED and are mostly re-used from another office space
Plumbing fixtures are all low-flow
Our appliances are Energy Star certified with the lowest energy use possible
All new finishes are low- and no-VOC
The carpet tile is made up of 81% total recycled content, including 100% recycled nylon made in part from reclaimed fishing nets. And when its useful life is through, it can be recycled through Interface’s ReEntry 2.0 recycling process
Indoor bike storage is provided to encourage cycling to work
The walk and transit scores of the site are both 100
Nature and Biophilic design is incorporated throughout the space
Access to daylight and views is provided for all staff
We’re excited to start work in our new sustainable, accessible space with a fresh design on Monday, October 21st!
Phase #3 – Deliver is next, and we’ll share photos of our new space downtown.