Toronto welcomes the Workplace of the Future
At the corner of Adelaide and Yonge streets, in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, over 2,000 of us have made ourselves at home in Bay Adelaide East. It’s Deloitte’s largest Workplace of the Future building to date.
We’re comfortably occupying floors eight through 16 while construction of the podium – the first six floors of our new tower – continues below us. The amenities that will be housed in the podium, including the Bistro 1858 eatery, the Recharge wellness centre, Deloitte University and the Deloitte Greenhouse, will open this summer. The podium will also feature beautiful spaces to host clients, including boardrooms, lounges, and a rooftop terrace for events. Here’s a brief description of the podium and the four design principles that shaped it:
Linked landscapes
The podium and the tower floors connect at a six-storey glass atrium. The atrium staircase is taking shape, connecting the amenities in the open space. This atrium is a bold example of the linked landscapes design principle, which flows traffic to promote organic “collisions,” spark creativity and increase connectedness among colleagues.
On the sixth floor, the conference centre and rooftop terrace combine to form a striking space for client or team gatherings and celebrations. The terrace faces southeast and has striking views down Yonge and Adelaide streets.
Flexible futures
Similar to the flexibility the Workplace of the Future gives individuals, the building itself provides many similar elements for Deloitte, following the principle of flexible futures. Instead of ordinary drywall, for example, many interior walls are a modular design that will allow us to create and remove meeting, seating and open areas quickly - over the span of a weekend - to meet changing needs and support growth.
Workplace wellbeing
The open stairwells, generous bicycle parking, sit-stand workstations and tables, abundant natural light, treadmill walk station on each floor, "touchdown" spaces suited to impromptu needs, the atrium staircase – these are all examples of workplace wellbeing, the third design principle guiding Bay Adelaide East.
Another illustration of our significant commitment to this principle is our Recharge wellness centre, on the fourth floor. Recharge is scheduled to offer a variety of group fitness classes in two 25-person studios, change rooms with showers and treatment rooms for massage, meditation or prayer. Our D.411 “one-stop shop,” also on the fourth floor, is a single destination for the IT depot, print shop, business operations, security, and concierge-style services. For instance, you could arrange a dinner for a client, borrow an umbrella or use a Tide-to-Go stick.
The third floor will be home to Deloitte University (DU). First established in the tony enclave of Westlake, Texas, the DU experience of exclusivity and connectedness gets an urban twist as Toronto becomes only the fourth global site certified to use the DU brand and deliver its programming. We'll share more about Deloitte University in the coming months.
Deloitte on display
Starting with our name on the side of the building, the principle of Deloitte on display is evident throughout Bay Adelaide East. The reception area and the adjacent gallery, a stunning space, are on the second floor. One of the eye-catching features of the reception is a digital wall: a 4.5-metre-wide Christie MicroTile screen.
Bistro 1858, an exclusive eatery for Deloitte professionals and guests, will be on the ground floor. A statement light fixture – a glowing green dot – subtly announces our presence to the world outside. It's the perfect punctuation mark for our new home in Toronto.
About the Workplace of the Future program
Our firm is completely rethinking the way we work. This national real estate project is creating an outstanding experience, for both our people and our clients, through dynamic and collaborative workplaces that fundamentally change how we interact with each other. We are committed to the idea that professionals of the future need a workplace of the future. Look for updates on our progress in future issues of Alumni Connections.
