Slack Toronto Office
Slack, a team communication app and San Francisco based startup, has opened offices around the globe including Vancouver, New York, Melbourne, London, and Dublin. Each office occupies a former industrial building with interiors that honour the property’s legacy, renew its productivity, and reflect Slack’s values of empathy, solidarity, and craftsmanship.
Therefore, when looking to expand to Toronto, Slack’s global facilities team was very excited to find three storeys within a former textile factory named the “Quality Knitting Building.” The building was ideally located – proximate to both the business and the arts districts, as well as to plenty of amenities and public transit. Its name was well aligned with Slack’s focus on carrying out one’s work with care and craft, and the brick and beam interiors provided a rich backdrop for a fresh office design.
According to Deano Roberts, Slack’s director of global facilities and real estate, “For each of our projects we search for architects whose work is a bit edgy and unique, and who will guide us in a strong and confident way. We also want to work with architects who will give us attention and focus while crafting a beautiful space in keeping with our brand. Dubbeldam Architecture + Design embraced our company values and translated them seamlessly into the space.”
The project team drew from a “threads of communication” concept using linear geometries throughout the space, such as continuous angular light fixtures and coloured networking cables running through the length of the office on the ceiling and walls. These enliven the space in an homage to the lines of yarn that were used in the mechanized knitting process, while also referencing the communication service of the messaging application itself. In the reception area, the design team worked with long-term collaborator Kathryn Walter of Felt Studio who wrapped diagonal strips of industrial felt along the walls and ceiling, creating a warm and inviting environment as soon as you step into the office.
A feature characteristic of the interior is the bold, contrasting pops of colour that demarcate distinct areas including solitary work stations, phone booths, break-out meeting rooms, a staff lounge and sleek executive boardroom. Each zone corresponds to a single colour that makes up Slack’s branding, reinforcing company identity while also providing visual interest and relief to the otherwise yellow tones of the brick and wood interiors. Meeting rooms are uniform yet each unique, owing to their bold, monochromatic colour scheme. Throughout, vibrantly coloured acoustic wall paneling matches textured carpeting and distinctive furniture pieces. The angular light fixtures appear to thread through the ceiling, knitting workspaces and meeting rooms together. The large communal cafe picks up on the linear theme again with its white and wood diagonal slat finish. The interiors are varied enough to meet the functional requirements of 140 employees, but they also bring a sense of continuity and community to the workplace. The result is an office unlike any other, both serious about work while offering a playful and comfortable space for its employees to succeed.
