True North Square, a new mixed-use development in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has transformed the city’s downtown area. When third-floor space initially designated as a grocery store unexpectedly became available in 2020, Ceridian Canada snapped up the lease and moved its entire local team to the single-floor, 25,000-sq ft space.
Environmental Space Planning coordinated architecture and interior design for the new office, while KGS Group handled electrical and mechanical engineering, including lighting design. The open-concept design for the human-resource software company has an urban edge, with high industrial ceilings, reclaimed wood accent walls, splashes of bright color and bold graphic accents.
Slot 2 linear luminaires (Mark Architectural Lighting) are used throughout the project, including a flush lens recessed pattern configuration in boardrooms and black pendants in open and closed offices, as well as more casual meeting spaces.
Photos: Gerry Kopelow
“By placing two rows of the slot luminaire over the outside long-edge of the meeting table, we were able to attain an excellent quality of light with limited shadowing,” says project manager Lucien Lalonde of KGS. Cylinders and wall washers (Indy) provide supplemental illumination.
Photos: Gerry Kopelow
Black acoustic baffles suspended from the ceiling manage ambient noise in lounge areas and open offices. Located between the baffles and hung at the same height, pendants encased in black blend seamlessly with the aesthetic.
Photos: Gerry Kopelow
Cylinder fixtures illuminate corridors, some lounge areas and the kitchen, where three pendants (Eureka Lighting) are suspended through cutouts in a wooden drop ceiling over the kitchen counter.
Photos: Gerry Kopelow
The slot luminaires provide static-white and tunable-white light distributions, as well as dimming capabilities, enabling each space to serve multiple purposes. The cafeteria, for example, can be converted into a reception space for evening events.
Photos: Gerry Kopelow