The term “third place” (first coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg back in 1989) is typically used to describe social environments located beyond someone’s home or office — with coffee shops and bars being two of the most frequently cited examples. Lately, however, workspaces like Scotiabank North — the Canadian bank’s new downtown Toronto hub, designed by KPMB Architects — are evolving to integrate third places of their own. In the process, companies are demonstrating the importance of treating one’s workforce less like staff and more like guests.

A view of an open, three-storey space in the Scotiabank North office designed by KPMB Architects in Toronto with light wood flooring and a marble staircase connecting the first two floors. A man stands in a glass window looking into the atrium from the third floor.
A closeup of the marble staircase.

The bank’s 14-storey office anchors the Bay Adelaide Centre’s recently completed north tower, designed by KPMB with Adamson Associates. At the interior scale, KPMB describes the fit out for Scotiabank North as being driven by the concept of “hosting your employees.” What results is a combination of amenities that take cues from both hospitality settings and cultural venues, filling the varied office levels with everything from bistros to art galleries.

People eating lunch in the Scotiabank North office in Toronto designed by KPMB Architects. Red and blue chairs surround wooden dining tables, with a forest graphic printed on the back wall panels.

Rather than distracting from daily business, these socially-minded “third places” actively support it — indeed, many of them evolved directly from engagement sessions with the bank’s team, which set priorities such as inclusion, accessibility, health and wellness. 

A coffee bar at Scotiabank North, featuring a rounded light fixture hanging above a curved wooden kiosk.

The project’s strong focus on shared spaces is most apparent on the third floor, which has been dubbed the North Commons. Anchored by a grab-and-go coffee shop and outfitted with a full range of seating options (from Maharam-upholstered banquettes to communal tables designed by Mary Ratcliffe Studio), this flexible social hub becomes a destination for everything from quick employee catch ups to full-scale town halls.

A dining area at Scotiabank North in Toronto designed by KPMB Architects looks out the window to a neighbouring brick building with a metal grid artwork affixed to it.

Adding to the setting’s appeal, windows look out to the Cloud Gardens Conservatory, a neighbouring Financial District landmark.

People sit in a dining area at Scotiabank North office in Toronto with a design by KPMB Architects. Blue linear lights hang above the bar. A black staircase passes by mountain imagery on the far wall.

Additional coffee stations and bistros are spread throughout floors six to nine, with each of these areas including a staircase linking different levels to promote chance encounters.

KPMB’s Office Design for Scotiabank North Delivers Big Corporate Perks

Given that many Scotiabank employees play host to important clients, the office’s warm, welcoming atmosphere is also designed with external guests in mind. Private lounges, dining rooms and an outdoor terrace on the office’s higher floors ensure a comfortable, memorable experience for visitors, all while cutting down on the need for offsite reservations.

An art gallery in Scotiabank North office in Toronto with a design by KPMB Architects includes a wood back wall and a white wall covered in large canvases running perpendicular to it.

A dedicated client reception desk on the 10th floor even offers visitors a chance to browse an adjacent art gallery corridor before they’re led to their eventual destination.

A rounded grey marble reception desk in front of a linear screen wall that looks through to a wooden wall in Scotiabank North office in Toronto with a design by KPMB Architects.

The furniture and finishes are similarly gallery-worthy. Throughout, natural materials like stone (used most dramatically on Nero Marquina marble reception desks) and wood are complemented by graphic treatments that reflect forest or mountain imagery.

A boardroom in Scotiabank North office in Toronto with a design by KPMB Architects featuring large blue tiles with forest imagery.

Boardroom designs include custom tables by Nienkämper and executive seating from Andreu World, while an antique table from Scotiabank’s original boardroom sits in another meeting space in a fun nod to company history.  

Caramel leather chairs sit around a curved table in front of a glass wall printed with forest imagery inside the Scotiabank North office featuring a design by KPMB Architects.

When it comes time to get down to business, an activity-based working strategy allows employees to choose the space that best suits their task. Floor plans, furniture and technology were planned with each of the bank’s businesses in mind, ensuring that everyone from the trading floors to corporate banking, asset management and group treasury has the right mix of work studios, hoteling desks, private offices and quiet zones.

People sit at a dining area in front of a black bookcase with a staircase behind it inside Scotiabank North office in Toronto featuring a design by KPMB Architects.

The outcome is a finely attuned balance of work and play. After all, while there’s no doubt that a workspace needs to support productivity, it also helps to have an office that employees actually like. And when it comes to talent recruitment and retention — not to mention wooing workers back downtown — Scotiabank North’s big investment in social and break spaces seems likely to pay off.

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