Cushman & Wakefield just moved into its new Canadian HQ, an open-concept, tech-driven workspace on two floors at Brookfield Place’s TD Canada Trust Tower. CEO Chuck Scott took Bisnow for a tour.
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Cushman’s 35K SF HQ “strikes a thoughtful balance between the future of work and the practical realities of the type of work we do,” Scott said.
The company went from having 77 private offices at its old space (33 Yonge St.) to 27 at the new digs. “We didn’t go from 77 to 0.”
There is a concierge team to assist employees and manage visitor experiences, including directing them to Club Cushman, a café stocked with snacks and beverages. (Bisnow opted for coffee.)
And with sit-stand desks, focus rooms and collaboration spaces with touch-screen SMART boards, Cushman staffers have flexibility in how they work. Floors are connected by an open stairwell, facilitating creative collisions.
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The state-of-the-art workplace is so appealing, some of Cushman’s private-office dwellers have told Scott they would prefer to join the interactive fray. Scott himself has a workstation out in the open, with an adjacent spare desk if anybody wishes to work beside the chief.
“We wanted a space that was less siloed and more inviting for employees to engage with one another,” he said.
The project was led, managed and implemented by Cushman’s in-house teams, including lease interaction, facilities management and development services. The company has inked a 10-year lease with building owner Oxford Properties Group.
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The office is well-equipped to host clients, with plug-and-play stations and collaboration spots throughout. It also functions as an event space, boasting movable walls and killer downtown views.
The HQ has room for expansion, which is fortunate, given Cushman just acquired Ashlar Urban Realty. Scott said Ashlar increases his team’s bench strength with expertise in retail agency leasing, urban capital markets and urban office leasing, while Cushman gives Ashlar clients a stellar services platform.
Scott said the companies “eerily share the same high-performance culture. So this is a case of one plus one equals three.”
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More than 200 staff moved to Cushman’s new office, including the former DTZ group, which had been on a different floor of the TD Canada Trust Tower. Scott said he has noticed employees already are more productive.
“There’s a jump in everybody’s step," he said. "It’s that happy, new-car feeling.”
The HQ is flooded with natural light, and its 360-degree downtown vistas are compelling showcases for deals Scott’s crew has been a part of. Glancing southwest out one window, he pointed to One York Street and 25 York St / Telus House, towers Cushman helped lease up.
“We’ve put lots of great deals together — it’s nice to be able to literally show it off.”
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