Lightspeed in Montreal, Canada by ACDF Architecture

Article source: ACDF Architecture

For the new global headquarters of Lightspeed, a burgeoning, Montreal-based developer of point-of-sale software, ACDF Architecture reinvigorated three floors of the historical Viger train station and hotel, a nearly forgotten, chateaustyle building whose pointed turrets overlook a prominent civic square. The studio did so by preserving the found, raw elements of the once-abandoned space, superimposing a layer of select, slick, wit-filled elements that pop against the roughness and reflect the clients’ dynamic, creative and vigorous brand.

The soaring double height spaces, with their immense timber beams, create an awe-inspiring work environment, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

• Architects: ACDF Architecture
• Project: Lightspeed
• Location: Montreal, Canada
• Photography: Adrien Williams
  
• Client: Lightspeed POS
• Architectural Project Team: Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Joan Renaud, Laure Giordani, Laurence Le Beux, Christelle Montreuil Jean-Pois
• Mechanical Engineer: Groupe Ce+Co
• Electrical Engineer: Scomatech
• Project Managment: CBRE
• General Contractor: Anjinnov Inc.
• IT: Calibre Plus
• AudioVisual: Environnement Electronique
• Artists: Speakeasy, Arlin Cristiano, The Doodys, Jason Botkin
• Special millworkers: Etienne Hotte (pool stools) and Léandre Baillargeon (reception desk)
• Area: 28235 sq ft (2620 m2)
• Completion: ongoing

The open space offices are subtly adorned with graphic murals by Sao Paulo artist Arlin Cristiano. The use of black and white hues give a sense of unity and order to the project letting the existing brick walls stand out. Everything over nine feet above the floor was painted black to create a datum line that unifies the spaces, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

Lightspeed has had a fast, audacious rise since it was founded in 2005, growing from a home-based business to a thriving global entity with satellites in Europe and North America. It aims to be the first Montreal tech company with a billion dollar valuation. At its headquarters, which are currently 30,000-square-feet with plans for another 20,000 by spring 2016, the company wanted room for an expanding workforce while retaining its culture as a tight-knit, nimble startup. Throughout, ACDF forged connections between the past and the future, reflecting the unique heritage and joie de vivre of its locale (setting it a part from the standard tech offices in Silicon Valley). Contemporary interventions such as slick glass walls, colourful pavilions, vibrant furniture and graphic art — with murals by Sao Paulo’s Arlin Cristiano and Montreal’s Jason Botkin — juxtapose industrial, found elements that speak to the building’s long history.

The dining area, aptly named the “pool”, is where everyone gathers at lunchtime and at evenings. Its proximity to the lounge and its open space concept both contribute to the feeling of belonging to the company, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

When the Viger Train Station and Hotel first opened in 1898, it was a local landmark with grandly detailed terra cotta walls. The onset of the Great Depression and the shift of Montreal’s downtown to the west caused a downturn in the 1930s. After a long period of disrepair, including 15 years of utter abandonment, ACDF began the office conversion, leaving a palimpsest of the station’s past. The studio revealed soaring double height spaces, with their immense timber beams, that were obscured during a 1950s remodeling; retained the rough-hewn brick walls that remained after the structure was stripped of its asbestos in the early 2000s; and left unadorned the ends of monumental, studded steel girders as they slide in and out of the work spaces.

To contrast the industrial textures, ACDF used highly contemporary interventions such as slick glass walls for closed offices and meeting spaces, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

Now, a revitalized sense of levity is evident as soon as visitors step into the lobby. When seen from the elevator, the laminate reception desk looks like the flattened graphic of Lightspeed’s red-and-white logo — a fluid L and S that coil into the shape of a bright flame. From different perspectives, the anamorphic nature of the design is revealed. An assertive assemblage of sharply edged volumes jumps out, all the more because of the surrounding, coarse textures.

The pool’s aqua-blue floor and slick surfaces bring to mind still, refreshing water. Columnar fiberglass stools have a waterlogged texture and reinforce the sense that the area is as relaxed as a swim-up bar at your favourite resort, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

A similar sense of humour pervades the rest of the space. For example, ACDF installed three laminate cabana-shaped meeting pavilions in the lobby. Each looks like a mini, high-gloss house, a nod to the comforts of home as well as Lightspeed’s previous, much-smaller office, which was in a residential neighbourhood. An extra layer of wit heightens the sense of play: the studio painted permanent “shadows” on the adjacent floor and walls outside the pavilions. The cabanas are adjacent to the “pool,” a kitchen-side common area that references the backyard swimming pool at the previous office. The aqua-coloured area has a teal epoxy floor and fiberglass stools with a waterlogged pattern, custommade by millworker Etienne Hotte, both of which make the area feel as dream-like as the swim-up bar at your favourite resort. (Meanwhile Arlin Cristiano’s The Phoenix, a large, graffiti-style wall mural, adds an edge.)

Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

In the open-plan workspaces, stark white systems furniture streaks past the preserved ruins of industrial-age relics, soaring timber ceilings, garret-like nooks and elegantly frayed brick walls. The new-old contrast, as well as the infusion of Jason Botkin’s graphic, abstract lines and shapes, inspires a dramatic synergy that sparks the imagination and helps the youthful employees (the average age is 32) create.

The cabana-like pavilions are covered in glossy white laminate and their interiors offer bright turquoise, yellow and red colors carpeted in felt. Their homely and flexible style is perfect for casual work sessions or small meetings. The trompe l’oeil “shadows” were done at very little cost to give a humurous touch to the space, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

Future additions will push the themes further. A new, 960-square-foot patio off the “pool” area will have hot tubs and BBQs; an indoor, cigar-style lounge with herringbone floors and tufted leather couches; and a cloud-inspired, diaphanous amphitheater will ensure the 215 and counting employees feel entirely at home in the space.

The cabanas nod to Lightspeed’s previous, much smaller office, which was in a residential neighbourhood, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

The reception desk’s anamorhpic logo appears as you enter the office suite, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

As soon as the passerby moves, the logo melts away, revealing its sharp edges, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

ACDF left a palimpsest of the station’s history — the rough-hewn brick walls and the steel girders reminiscent of the station’s railway history, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

In the open space offices, nine-foot-tall dry erase panels were connected together and used as a wall paneling, Image Courtesy © Adrien Williams

Image Courtesy © ACDF Architecture

Tags: Canada, Montreal

Category: Headquarters

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