EMA pETEr; CourTESY oF WHiTElAW TWiNiNg 24 BCBusiness FEBruArY 2016
R
enovating is always an adventure—
even more so when the space is not
only occupied but a workplace. Still,
in 2014, when the lease was ending
for oœces Whitelaw Twining had been in since
1993, the law —rm was reluctant to leave because
of the location: on the 24th and 25th «oors of the
Granville Square tower in downtown Vancouver
next to Waterfront Station—a public transit hub—
and with unobstructed views.
"We knew staying would be a disruption,"
says managing director Daniel Shugarman,
"but as it turns out there was actually kind of
a unique bonding experience. It was like going
through a war together."
People shared oœces while the «oorplate
was renovated a quarter at a time over the
course of a year. "We wanted a space to re«ect
the people who work here," says Shugarman.
"They are young and dynamic so we wanted
space that we felt was young and dynamic."
The new space is more open and less hierar-
chical. "As the nature of the work has changed
in that it's become much more collaborative,
much more team oriented, the spaces had to
catch up with how we work so the concept
of an extremely large oœce just didn't make
sense," explains Shugarman. Now oœces are
all the same size but set up to allow everyone to
work more eœciently.
While Whitelaw Twining wants clients to
be able to see how they work and be part of the
environment, ultimately the space was designed
for the 110 people who work there. "The product
we sell is our people so we wanted them to be
really happy," says Shugarman. "It's all about
the people because that's just our business—it's
selling talent. So to maintain talent, to keep it
here and attract it here, we really thought we
needed a space that spoke to the new workforce,
which is what I think we have."
■
O f f i c e S p a c e
The Legal
Eagles' Nest
How Whitelaw Twining got dramatic
new offices without relocating
by Felicity Stone
equal
opportunity
There are
no corner
offices—every
corner room is a
teaming room or
communal space
