OMERS

Workplace / Toronto, ON / 400,000 sq ft

With five different business units across multiple locations, OMERS came to us with a central goal: to co-locate everyone under one roof at their new building 100 Adelaide.

With each business unit focused on their unique services, our challenge was to seamlessly integrate different working cultures in one building for the first time in OMERS history. Through a rigorous discovery process, we distilled what we heard into four guiding principles to inform the journey of shifting OMERS business units’ individual cultures towards a collective high-performance culture.

OMERS entrance with logo wall and glass partitions
"Figure3 played a very important role. The process we had was collaborative, interactive. They were thoughtful in how they approached us as a client in what we were trying to achieve at OMERS."
Michael Latimer, President and CEO
Rotate Your Device OMERS office lobby with sofas and glass walls

By providing a range of solutions, from acoustical sound masking to increasing the provision of small meeting rooms, the employees of OMERS benefit from the sense of belonging the open-plan principle provides without losing the necessary spaces for privacy.

Focus, connection, collaboration, and engagement became central to how we devised solutions for everything from where we located meeting spaces to the technology recommendations we made.

Our efficient and effective planning strategy increased density, reduced private offices and brought disparate entities together. We introduced a number of centralized, shared locations designed to increase chance encounters and promote engagement. Each floor has its own refresh area; the 14th floor is given over to a large lunchroom, library, games area and a range of seating options for informal meetings. A state-of-the-art conference centre across three floors creates further opportunities for connection and collaboration.

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Rotate Your Device OMERS office modern black staircase with light woods

The cantilevered interconnecting staircase becomes a symbol for a connected culture at OMERS

Rotate Your Device OMERS office library with tables, lamps, and upholstered booth seating
Rotate Your Device OMERS office shared space with conference table, upholstered chairs, and industrial lighting
Rotate Your Device OMERS office lunchroom with long wood table, white tables and chairs, and booths
Rotate Your Device OMERS office collaboration zone with wood booths, upholstered furniture, and purple and orange ottomans
Rotate Your Device OMERS office social zone with bar seating, industrial lighting, wood wall, and colourful upholstery
Rotate Your Device OMERS office seating area with upholstered chairs and large windows

14th floor library space for focused work

Cross department collaborations happen more often

Large lunchroom serves thousands of employees

14th floor multipurpose space

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