Gluskin Sheff & Associates

Rethinking the workspace to reflect the realities of 21st century work culture

As one of Canada’s pre-eminent wealth management firms, Gluskin Sheff’s new workplace is a people-centered design that pays equal attention to providing the highest quality of service to clients and to delivering a healthy, supportive workplace for employees. In this case, cognizant that volatility and unpredictability is the new norm since the 2008 Financial Crisis and in light of climate change, the strategy was to prioritize a tranquil background as a counterpoint. The project provides an example of how KPMB develops systems before design to respond to the specificity of a unique work culture: in this case a balance of private spaces for thinking and confidential conversations and open, collaborative environments to promote solution-seeking through teamwork.