Sibley:
Sibley and The Connected Thinking Philosophy
Eliminating barriers and integrating design elements promote creative dialogue and team interaction.
"By eliminating barriers to creative dialogue and integrating design elements that transmit a sense of innovation and freshness, the new space dramatically reflects Sibley‘s unique culture and identity."
Sibley offers insurers, employers and government organizations fully-integrated solutions to prevent, manage, and resolve injury or illness and to put people’s lives back together.
Canada‘s largest full-service disability solutions company prides itself on solving clients’ problems by applying what it calls “connected thinking”.
SDI Interior Design was requested to design a new office for Sibley with the objective of applying the philosophy of “connected thinking” to the company’s new headquarters comprising an 18,131 square-foot main workspace with reception, boardroom, café, 16 offices and 78 office workstations. In addition, a 3,210 square-foot demonstration and training facility and a gym for staff are in separate areas of the building.
By eliminating barriers to creative dialogue and integrating design elements that transmit a sense of innovation and freshness, the new space dramatically reflects Sibley‘s unique culture and identity, with an environment that encourages team interaction, increased productivity and improved employee morale.
For the project, SDI asked Harkel Office Furniture and Global to introduce a new office furniture standard for all work areas to transition from a 70 per cent enclosed workspace to a more open plan. The new arrangement has most workstations along the exterior wall, providing natural light and views. The liberal use of glass is arranged to create casual space and encourage team interaction.
The reception area and meeting rooms are consolidated into a central amenity area, which effectively separates the office and public spaces to satisfy the client’s design requirements. A nifty movable partition between the boardroom and café allows flexibility and emphasizes the integration between management and staff at the heart of the office.
As one enters the elevator lobby a smart use of light and organic shapes and a cool palette of blues and grays imbue innovation and freshness. The grand reception area employs a combination of glass and warm wood to create a contemporary feel.
The large café features an exposed ceiling painted dark chocolate brown, bright walls and furniture, and liberal use of industrial pendent lights to further contribute to an inviting, chic space.
