Slack Technologies Vancouver Office
Location / 1028 Hamilton St., Vancouver, BC
Project Type / Interior Renovation
Size / 22,000 sf
Completion / Current
Photo Credits: Michael Leckie, Ema Peter
Rendering Credit: Mike Sargent, Jonathan Amort
Award-winning communications-based software company Slack located its multi-level headquarters in Yaletown, at 1028 Hamilton. The Slack Headquarters re-imagines the industrial space with sleek and modern detail. The new offices retain the heritage character of the building by integrating the exposed brick, original wooden beams, and mechanical infrastructure into the design. The steel separating walls are coated with a matte gunmetal lacquer.
One of the most significant features of the historic building are the large bay windows on both levels, which give plenty of natural light to the industrial building. The windows throughout the office are framed in black, which softens the light and elegantly anchors the space. The primary meeting rooms on the second floor, which are adjacent to the second floor bay windows, are transparent so that the street is visible throughout the office. Additional daylight is subtly filtered through the many skylights in the working area, as well as the cafe, reception, and atrium.
The second level of the Slack headquarters encourages a flexibility in the use of space, with modular office design and open-concept communal areas. Mobile meeting rooms can be rolled around the office, encouraging break-out groups, play, or just some extra privacy. Elsewhere in the Slack offices, Skype meetings and phone calls can be held in semi-private cubbies, like vintage phone booths, with sliding glass doors.
The second level of the Slack offices opens through an atrium seating area and stairwell that connects the main level with a small lounge overlooking Hamilton Street. Balancing the industrial and sleek atmosphere of a tech-company headquarters, the offices retain warmth with an eclectic mix of locally sourced furniture and artwork.
The concept of an ‘interior nature’ is explored with the mossy wall, located at the heart of the headquarters. Overhanging this space is sculptural pendant lighting by designers Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen. Theorganic shapes, suspended in the high space between upper and lower levels like floating clouds or tree mushrooms, connect working and social space.
Status: Built
Location: Vancouver, BC, CA
