With its lease up for renegotiation and major redevelopment planned at Lansdowne Park, CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, decided it was time to hit refresh on its Ottawa headquarters with a move to Westboro that would avoid years of construction while placing the office just steps from a future light-rail station.
A fixture in Ottawa’s technology community since 2000, the member-based not-for-profit viewed the relocation not as a logistical challenge, but as an opportunity to create a modern hybrid workplace built around the way people work today.
“Every decision we made served a purpose: to support collaboration, improve the employee experience, celebrate CIRA’s role as the steward of .CA, Canada’s internet domain, and create an environment where our people genuinely want to be,” says Byron Holland, president and CEO of CIRA.
To ensure every design element balanced aesthetics with functionality, Holland and his team worked closely with local design firm 4Té Inc., to transform its two-floor space on McCrae Avenue into a physical expression of the way CIRA works. “From the outset, the goal was to create a workplace that reflects who CIRA is today while giving the space the flexibility to evolve with the organization over time,” says Chantal Boyer-Casey, principal designer at 4Té Inc. From meeting spaces and technology to the acoustics, flexible layouts and Canadian-inspired touches, every detail was intentionally designed to support a collaboration-first approach to hybrid work.
“A lot has changed in the past five years, including employee expectations,” says Holland. “We took careful steps to create the kind of space people want to come into—not because they’re told to, but because it helps them do their best work.”
These steps included asking its 140 employees what design elements and features were most important to them. When staff expressed concerns that open environments could be loud, the organization responded by adding plenty of meeting rooms of various sizes and incorporating sound-absorbing wall treatments and acoustic lighting that help reduce noise throughout the office.
“Our approach centred on thoughtfully reimagining the existing space — preserving what worked, minimizing demolition and waste, and reshaping the environment to better support the organization’s evolving needs. The result is a space that seamlessly integrates sustainability, performance and identity into an experience that feels authentic, enduring and welcoming,” Boyer-Casey adds. Located in a LEED Silver-certified building, the environmentally sustainable space also features an expansive boardroom with movable walls, a large café and kitchen, flexible workspaces, quiet focus zones and a wellness room. With employees expected to spend three days a week in the building, ensuring a seamless experience for both in-office and remote staff was a key design priority — one made possible by integrated, enterprise-grade video-conferencing technology.
When employees, partners and community organizations enter the new office, they’ll also notice subtle nods to Canada, from red accents and warm wood finishes to lighting inspired by flying geese, reinforcing CIRA’s role as the powerhouse behind every .CA internet domain.
In true Canadian fashion, there’s even a large outdoor patio, where CIRA plans to bring employees together for a summer barbecue before the end of the season.
“We had a strong vision for the space,” says Holland. “Something modern, clean aesthetic, but with warmth and a Canadiana feel because we’re about as maple syrup and Canadian bacon as you can get.”
Best Offices Ottawa first appeared in the September 2026 edition of Ottawa Business Journal. That publication is available in it’s digital format below:
