Originally designed by Henry Cobb and I.M. Pei as the global headquarters for the Royal Bank of Canada, Montreal’s Place Ville Marie is a paragon of mid-century design. At the time, it was a symbol of the city’s thriving urban economy — a moment that was short-lived. Today, economic uncertainty has continued to impact central business districts worldwide, which have struggled to recover from the pandemic’s mass exodus of tenants. Still, Place Ville Marie continues to stay relevant. In 2022, local firm Sid Lee Architecture revamped the adjacent plaza as a vibrant public space — and moved its own office into the ground floor, which once served as a former bank branch, ushering in a new era of forward-thinking workspaces on the site. On the 15^th floor, consulting firm Accenture’s new digs, courtesy of Lemay, another prominent Montreal firm, serve as a prime example.

Driven by a deeply collaborative design process, which included discovery sessions with Accenture employees, the 1,765-square-metre workspace was conceived to promote both productivity and well-being. With both flexible spaces for socializing and collaboration, as well as more focused workspaces, the office caters to the constantly changing needs of modern workers. An emphasis on soft curves ensures sightlines between each zone — the IT bar, lounge vignettes and library, to name a few — creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere that fosters connection between colleagues.

In the common spaces, lush hanging gardens add a biophilic element that has become a staple of modern workspaces. The product of Lemay’s signature Net Positive approach to sustainability, the office features carbon dioxide sensors in high-occupancy rooms, optimized energy use and carefully selected low-emission and environmentally responsible materials.

Place Ville Marie is surrounded by public art (including Claude Cormier’s The Ring, which is visible from the office café), so it’s only fitting that the office is designed to evoke the same sense of whimsy.  At the entrance, for instance, a custom partition is composed of 1200 interactive trigonal prisms in Accenture’s brand colours, filtering natural light into the space and casting shadows that move and change throughout the day. A pointillist skyline mural and colourful furnishings lend a quality of “playful sophistication,” balanced by an understated, bespoke felt ceiling that tempers acoustics while nodding to Place Ville Marie’s architectural language.

While an office board room takes on a more reserved design style, at Accenture Montreal, it’s the pièce de résistance: An immersive cloud mural lines the walls and ceiling, illuminated by a massive light fixture that mimics a skylight, while misty-hued floors recall the ephemeral quality of the horizon line. The entire room attempts to create a “sense of weightlessness,” offering a calming escape from the bustle of office life.