Design Firm: Kasian
Project Name/Client: Kasian Office
Project Location: Toronto, ON
Product: Repartee Tile

What is Design?
At Kasian we believe design is about the process, not the outcome. The process is a journey of excitement, inspiration and anticipation.

The process is a fully collaborative and experimental process of critical and interpretive creative thinking that allows information and creative ideas to be organized, decisions to be agreed upon, situations to be improved, life enhanced and knowledge to be gained.

When working on a design problem we focus on inspired thinking in order to facilitate a solution. The measure of a successful solution is simple; it must respond to the project drivers and be rooted in design excellence.

How is Design best illustrated through the project?
Our workspace is a milieu to our design process. Through the creative process the design drivers were integrated into the physical environment with the intention of supporting work processes, balancing people and the behaviors that drive optimum business results.  Our design drivers pushed our team to create a space that supports team building and dynamics. The creation of a series of unique collaborative work spaces, each with transparency and visibility, the injection of agile workspaces and innovative programming facilitated the creation of an environment capable of enabling great energy, enthusiasm and the encouragement of the spirit of our team culture.  

Biggest Design Challenge?
Construction was near completion as Kasian neared the finalization of a major global rebrand and repositioning. Throughout the design process our team was committed to celebrating the essence of the firm’s personality and allowing the architecture to act as a backdrop for our people and our work, incorporating a neutral palette and walls to ideate, showcase and critique.

We invited our brand consultants to tour the space, and established a team to spearhead innovative ways to incorporate brand into our physical environment. Our team infused the soul and spirit of the brand using light, color, signage, fabric, graphics and storyboarding.

What made it Innovative or Unique?
The Toronto design process was a result of an initiative hailed as Kasian@Work with the goal of creating a benchmark to guide each Kasian location in creating environments that authentically support our culture, work practices and business goals as we evolve. Months were spent researching, interviewing and gathering information from employees across the country to assess and define how we work, our efficiency and the future of our work. 

The resulting documentation included clear design drivers and guiding principles allowing the design team broad creative license within the framework of clear direction.

How did Design make a difference?
Part of our mandate with the launch of the Toronto office was to use the space as a recruitment tool to showcase our work environment to prospective team members, and to facilitate an understanding of the uniqueness of our work processes and culture.

The Kasian Toronto office has given our firm an advantage in building up design talent and attracting some of the brightest architects and designers; not only in Toronto but globally. In combination with an aggressive recruitment program, we used discussions, photos, and tours, resulting in 170 new hires in 2007, a nearly 90% increase in total staff.

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