When B|A began working with Wave, a state-of-the-art financial software-development firm, COVID restrictions were being lifted and the company wanted to welcome employees back with an office where creativity and collaboration flourished.

The layout was a traditional bullpen of cubicles, with approximately 500 workstations. It was determined that this formal arrangement no longer served the employees and they needed something invigorating. B|A considered what had been sacrificed during the dark days of the pandemic – simple pleasures like social gatherings in the park, going to the movies, traveling – and how those settings could be recreated in the office environment. Three destinations within the 30,462-square-foot layout were devised to support meetings, creative work, and socializing in exciting ways: a park, a set of bleachers, and a plane… well, half a plane. 

Visualizing a park-like interior required ingenuity. Carpeting with a pattern reminiscent of dappled sunlight on a forest floor is paired with meandering wood-slat benches that twist around five kiln-dried trees, creating curvilinear environments for casual gatherings. Bright blue-ringed ceiling light fixtures nod to the sky and incorporate Wave’s branding, while mesh garden chairs and lightweight tables introduce flexible seating scenarios.  

For structured meetings, information sharing, and social events, a custom semi-circular wood bleacher faces a high-tech media centre. A built-in bench on the inside of the curve provides low seating, and an upper ledge runs the length of the exterior at the perfect height for bar stools. Together, they form a comfortable and casual location to broadcast everything from presentations to movies. 

Finally, B|A installed a realistic half-plane as a playful way to border the canteen and create a spot for daydreaming. Built by local millwork and steel fabricator MCM and dubbed Wave Air, the “plane” features exposed rivets, porthole windows, and clusters of spherical light fixtures standing in for clouds. 

Dynamic and energizing, Wave’s office is now a more fitting environment for the large-scale tech corporation to espouse the sensibility of a creative studio.