Microsoft Canada Head Office, Toronto, Ontario
From Archiplanet
| Microsoft Canada Head Office | |
| Designer | Sweeny Sterling Finlayson &Co Architects Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Date | to 2003 |
| Building Type | Office |
| Climate | Mild Temperate |
| Street Address | |
| Notes | with Adamson Associates Architects, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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| Building Details | |
| Client | Microsoft Canada |
| Cost | $30 million |
| Area | 190,000 sq ft |
Microsoft has always remained a step ahead by driving relentless improvements at both the holistic level and the level of individual components. When assigned the task of designing the company’s new Canadian headquarters, &Co employed the same dual perspective.
On one hand, we approached the project as a comprehensive whole containing interrelated systems. We sought to design a flexible green and human environment that would support the changing requirements of a contemporary workspace. We removed functional redundancies to drive down operating costs. And, as we often find ourselves doing, we ran counter to conventional real estate practice, integrating concerns for both architectural and interior design – and as a result giving rise to long-term benefits for owner and tenant alike.
On the other hand, we took a hard look at specific areas where the right kinds of changes would produce the biggest impact. We reduced energy and operating costs by almost half those of a typical commercial office building. We put in a raised-floor technology platform that includes state-of-the-art mechanical, electrical, voice and data systems, allowing individuals to adjust their own work environments. We eliminated automated ceilings in favour of exposed reflective concrete and energy efficient indirect lighting, adding exterior sunshades and interior blinds and light shelves to create unparalleled levels of natural light without the usual issues of glare, heat gain, or loss of view. The daylight harvesting allows further energy savings from automatically turning off the artificial lighting at the perimeter when not required.
The resulting building sets new standards of technological innovation and exemplifies modern environmental sustainability. Viewed as an integrated whole or through the lens of its individual parts, Microsoft Canada’s new head office reflects the same uncompromising push for innovation that has kept it firmly at the head of the class.
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