As people return to work in office, many employers are focusing in earnest on creating a healthy, welcoming environment.
For CBRE, that focus was turned up a notch as the Ottawa office is close to achieving Platinum Certification from the WELL Building Standard, an international standard that is an evidence-based road map for creating spaces that advance human health and well-being. 
The local office of CBRE, a global commercial real estate brokerage firm, wanted to provide a comfortable environment that enhances the health of its employees. So the firm commissioned Provencher_Roy, an award-winning Canadian architectural firm that includes a dedicated interior design studio.
CBRE Ottawa’s employees provided the road map for the office transformation, says operations manager Connie Marszowski.
“Our people wanted options so they could work in whatever way was most supportive of the task at hand,” she says. “The biggest change that is reflective of our new work environment is a significant increase in collaborative meeting space options.”
And wellness was top of mind at all points during the design process, adds Aileen Terrien, a senior graphic designer in the Ottawa office. “Our workstations are all equipped with sit-stand desks, large monitors and everyone has access to natural light,” she says. “Because doing great work shouldn’t mean sacrificing your mind and body for results. We now have a space that inspires wellness and fosters collaboration,” she adds. “It’s an environment that nurtures mind, body and spirit and promotes a balanced approach to work and life,” says Terrien.
Anna Westlund, an interior design partner with Provencher_Roy in Ottawa, says this project is notable in that CBRE targeted the Platinum level, the highest WELL certification one can achieve.
“This is a great example of an office that embraces the hybrid work model and offers a space that enhances people’s health and productivity. The team created a destination space that people are going to want to come to. It’s the idea of that magnetic place,” says Westlund.
The Wellness certification, which was facilitated directly by Provencher_Roy, focuses on 10 areas that are aimed at optimizing the environment, including air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community.
CBRE’s office is located at Constitution Square, which itself is one of Ottawa’s few triple-class-A-rated spaces. Upon entering the office, you are greeted by light-toned wood panelling, soft, rounded lighting and a soothing green, which was inspired by Canada’s vast coniferous forests. The space itself is divided into various open and closed areas, including assigned workstations, says Westlund. There are also meeting rooms and phone booths for privacy if needed and a multi-purpose café area for employees and guests. And in keeping with the focus on a healthy environment, there is a wellness room with a massage chair, where people can go for some solitude or even to meditate.
“Overall the idea was to create a space that enhances employee productivity and wellness, and really puts value on that. So it shows the team that they’re important and provides facilities for them to do their best work,” Westlund says, adding that CBRE invested in the workplace to also put the best face forward for clients and visitors.
The design emphasized a front-facing area that is multi-purpose in that it provides a reception area for clients, as well as a café space for informal gatherings, coffee and lunch. There is also a main boardroom and a smaller meeting room that can be used for closing deals with clients. “All of those uses are contained in that front-of-house area,” Westlund says.
In adherence to the WELL Building standard, the perimeter of the office prioritizes natural light. “The workstations are on the perimeter so that the daylight can come in, and then the offices and the closed spaces are on the inside,” Westlund says.
The other technical aspects of the WELL Building standard include providing a certain amount of fresh airflow, maintaining specific temperatures, achieving optimal acoustics, and respecting maximum distances to fresh water. “This is definitely not fluff. It has to be backed up and has to be proven that you’ve achieved these aspects,” Westlund says, adding that CBRE’s local office is well on its way to doing so.
In addition to the more scientific measures of the environment, the design focuses on biophilic elements and those that are less tangible, such as how the office feels. Overall the office is calming and luminous, and it has that ‘wow’ factor when you walk in. “That’s not necessarily something that you can put a credit value on, but it’s something that we took into account when designing the space,” Westlund says.
That means focusing on the details, such as patterns in carpeting and woodwork, ceiling acoustics and lighting. Organic, rounded light fixtures that play on natural forms and rhythms were chosen to provide visual interest, while wood materials were chosen to connect employees and visitors to nature, which has been proven to enhance health and well-being.
“All of these things have been proven to help patients heal faster, and reduce absenteeism. So something as simple as having wood material in your space has actually been scientifically proven to lower your stress,” Westlund explains. “The fact that we’ve always been part of the natural world and that we feel better and we perform better in spaces that mimic aspects of the natural world, that is really cool,” she adds.
This unique attention to detail and focus on sustainable, healthy design is what makes Provencher_Roy stand out. The firm’s expertise includes not only architectural services, but interior design, landscape architecture and urban design, which simplifies the process for clients seeking to elevate their spaces inside and out.
This article first appeared in the September 2024 special “Best Offices Ottawa” issue of the Ottawa Business Journal. That publication is available in its digital edition below.
