Zendesk Montreal Office by MRDK & Studio MHA

Photo by Alex Lesage.

After the acquisition of Montreal start-up ‘Smooch’, Zendesk sought to upgrade the offices for their new Canadian team. In early 2020, the design and planning of the 2,400sqm office were well underway when the global Covid pandemic came to forever change the way we work in offices. As workspaces around the world were shutting down and employees were working from home, Zendesk decided to cancel the build-out and reconsider their approach to work, and the role of the office in the years to come.

Reimagining a post-Covid office started with a companywide survey which made apparent that people found it easier to do focused work from home but that collaboration, interaction, sharing information and problem-solving were far better achieved in person. This triggered the search for a space half the size of the original office for the same headcount, with Zendesk tapping MRDK & Studio MHA for the job.

Collaboration and event space would be the emphasis of the new design. These spaces were created to offer flexibility for the future while being ideal spaces to work with colleagues remotely. Traditional desks were kept to a minimum and the concept of assigned workstations was replaced with bookable desks. A series of flexible spaces offering relaxed work environments at a residential scale, similar to those people had become accustomed to working at home, were provided throughout the office.

The flow of the space sends staff and visitors on a simple journey from public to private. Everyone enters through the reception, café, and event space. From there, it is through the large garden, which uses plants to create private spaces for both individual-focused work as well as collaborative meeting spaces. Moving past the garden, a series of meeting rooms create a buffer between the louder spaces at the entrance and the workstations beyond.

In addition to this spatial separation from public to private, varying levels of material transparency are used to create levels of privacy. In keeping with Zendesk’s culture of openness, glass and acrylic panels are favoured over solid walls. Texture and translucency are added to these materials to limit and modify views. Fluted glass provides the next level of privacy, by distorting the image and limiting sound. Translucent polycarbonate panels, which allow only light but not views, are used as a screen at the entrance to the open office area, as well as along the lounge.

Glass and polycarbonate panels are combined with a muted palate of white oak, stainless steel, grey felt, concrete and tan leather, emphasising a Scandinavian design aesthetic, in keeping with Zendesk’s Danish origins.

The presence of plants and the focussed space of the central garden are key to the integration of health and wellness in the workplace. A focus on biophilia, natural materials, clean air and good acoustics occurs throughout the space. This, along with abundant natural light and exterior views, provides a healthy work environment. Artwork further enriches the space, including murals by local Montreal artists. These elements taken together were key in allowing the project to be both LEED and WELL certified.