PRESS RELEASE – MONTREAL, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
Today, lg2, Canada’s largest independent creative agency, inaugurated its new head office in the Technopôle Angus eco-district. Chantal Rouleau, Quebec Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, and Christian Yaccarini, President and CEO of the Société de développement Angus (SDA) both attended. With this event, scaled down due to the pandemic, lg2 has officially arrived in Montreal’s east end.
This reimagined workplace reflects the ever-changing pandemic reality with a unique space for new, more flexible ways of working, whether on-site, remotely or hybrid. And this human-scale project comes at a time when people want to meet after months of telecommuting.
Adapting to a new reality
lg2 and its partners took more than a year to develop the original plans for their new head office. Then the pandemic changed everything. So lg2 took a long hard look at their original plan, and with their trademark agility and adaptability, re-envisioned the ideal workplace.
“We went back to the drawing board to design a workplace that reflected our new reality and the aspirations of our employees. We focused on why employees would want to come to the office once we could work together again. That was our new starting point,” explained Claude Auchu, Partner, President and CEO of lg2 Group.
Employees were consulted throughout the design process and it shows, with six different work areas to focus on teamwork and employee well-being. The goal was to move beyond the pre-pandemic business as usual and create a place to meet, exchange ideas and work together.
“Today, people don’t just want to work, they want to be fulfilled,” Auchu added. “Since no day, no hour is ever the same, we wanted to create a unique space with many different environments to reflect new ways of working.”
“It’s wonderful to see how a once-neglected site can be redeveloped and enhanced to create an environment conducive to business development,” said Chantal Rouleau, Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region. “lg2’s new office in Technopôle Angus epitomizes my aspiration for east-end Montreal: beautiful, sustainable living and working environments that attract innovative companies. This is how the east end will achieve its full potential.”
A neighbourhood that reflects the company’s values
The new head office in the Technopôle Angus eco-district builds on lg2’s desire to work in a place where they can make a positive impact on the community and evolve within a sustainable development laboratory. To ensure their new offices were harmonious with their environment, lg2 worked closely with the Société de développement Angus and Provencher_Roy, a leader in urban architecture in Quebec and Canada. The firm guided the architectural thinking and collaborated with lg2 and its employees to refine the building’s concept and technical aspects.
“We provide many opportunities for innovative, creative companies, like lg2, and we want to support their efforts. That can make a big difference,” said Christian Yaccarini, President and CEO of Société de développement Angus. “We’re very excited to be at the centre of the revitalization of Montreal’s east end.”
The project in brief
- Construction of a unique work environment, based on new hybrid and collaborative approaches
- Respectful integration of the heritage and industrial characteristics of the Technopôle Angus eco-district
- Spatial organization designed for employees’ state of mind rather than for assigned teams or organizational levels (individual work, teamwork, informal or planned collaboration, etc.)
- Multi-functional spaces for smarter use of square footage
- A sustainable, flexible concept that the company can adapt according to employee need
Listening to the needs of employees found:
- Top reason for commuting to the office: teamwork (82% in 2021 vs. 76% in 2020)
- 89% of employees are positive about hybrid work (+4% since July 2020)
- 70% of employees like being able to juggle their work and personal lives (vs. 65% in 2020)
For more details, please visit the microsite (French only).
