In our vertical series, cb Offering exciting, smart-designed and one-of-a-kind spaces across Canada. From innovative home offices to out-of-the-box co-working spaces to unconventional setups-Like This Beauty Company Moved Out of a Rural Farmhouse and this carbon-bike company Located in a former auto body shop—we want to showcase the most unique and beautiful locations from across industries. This month we’re profiling the Toronto office of Google Canada.
Google is big on a collaborative workplace culture. The employees—who call themselves Googlers—live on seven floors of an office building in Toronto’s financial district. The 7,538 square meter space is equipped with sports areas, a large cafeteria serving free hot breakfast and lunch daily, a gym, a theater for special events such as presentations and socials, an outdoor patio and on each floor The communal kitchen stocked with all the essentials: snacks like hummus and cheese, and beverages including sodas, juices, sparkling water and, of course, coffee.
The tech giant opened this location in 2012 to accommodate its growing presence in the Canadian market. Jennifer Wang, site program manager for Google Canada, says that before the team moved into the building, the company asked what they wanted the office to look like. “We had a focus group of Googlers that helped decide what kind of games would go into our space and what kind of special features we should have,” she says. “This office focuses exclusively on Canadian music and themes.” It features conference rooms named after Canadian waterways, phone booths named after country musicians, and locally sourced materials, such as wood, are used throughout the space. The office also has furniture in Google’s official colors – red, blue, green and yellow.
Architect Global Firm HOK and interior design based in toronto in the studio, space can accommodate 420 employees across teams such as AI research, marketing, engineering and sales. Right now, the company has a hybrid work model. The employees come to the office three days a week.
In 2015, Google took another floor in the building to create a “customer experience center”, where it hosts outdoor events and showcases the latest technology, like smart devices. The company expanded again in 2017 when it opened an additional floor for workers with a theme inspired by Toronto’s cultural diversity. “All the conference and phone rooms are named after neighborhoods in the city, like Little Italy and Chinatown,” says Wang. In addition to this headquarters, Google has two other office locations in the city, and will be moving to a new location on King Street in the near future when construction is complete.
Here’s a look inside.
