Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP (TDS)

Workplace / Winnipeg, MB / 75,000 sq ft

Prominent Winnipeg law firm Thompson Dorfman Sweatman (TDS) was moving into a brand new office space - the first Class A commercial real estate development in Winnipeg in decades.

TDS chose Figure3, with Number TEN Architectural Group (as part of the One Global Design alliance) to design a new environment that would help change the way they worked. They wanted to be less siloed, more collaborative, and step away from the hierarchical way lawyers typically work. Manitobans are very passionate about their heritage, so they also wanted an office design that would honour this.

TDS Lobby
"When we began our discussions with Figure3 about designing our new law office they kept asking about our culture. I had a hard time believing that design would be able to drive that kind of change. I was wrong. For many of our partners the space is beautiful and functional but for me it has been transformational.”
Allan Fineblit, COO, TDS
Rotate Your Device TDS Northern Lights Lounge

Collaboration zones and meeting areas are all centrally located on each of the three floors to encourage staff to circulate through the office, and also to cause less distraction around individual workspaces.

Moving from the reception area to the office is a dramatic experience at the TDS office. Here lies the expansive lunch room called the Northern Lights Lounge, the hub of the office, where visitors are treated with a spectacular view.

A vaulted open ceiling faces a 60 foot wide vista of Winnipeg’s blue skies. Acoustic plaster and powder-coated steel baffles create rhythm and unify the spaces, while 18 foot high glass partitions create openness.

Rotate Your Device TDS lobby with artwork

The wall behind the reception desk is made of tyndall stone, a limestone native to Winnipeg. Bronze edge detailing pays tribute to the city’s parliament buildings, with acid etched back painted glass on the desk's surfaces. A bronze and steel slide gate built by a local artist secures the lobby after hours.

Rotate Your Device TDS staircase

Each floor’s central zone is connected by a self-supporting staircase, with light shining in from a skylight above, highlighting warm wood paneling and brass accents that parallel those in the lobby.

Rotate Your Device Woman walking by TDS staircase
Rotate Your Device TDS skylight with lights
Rotate Your Device TDS elevator lobby
Rotate Your Device TDS Northern Lights Lounge
Rotate Your Device TDS library with purple booth
Rotate Your Device TDS office seating area
Rotate Your Device
Learn More
menu