Raymond James

Raymond James Ltd. had outlived their smaller and dated office space in downtown Waterloo and relocated to a new high tech office building further north.  Their new space needed to capture the essence of their values by appealing not only to their older clients, but to a new clientele as well.  At the same time – as they manage the finances of their clients – they wanted to ensure that their space looked spectacular, but not decadent.   The new building with an 18’ deck gave them a blank canvas with which Mayhew was able to create a new and improved space. The contrasts of the industrial base building elements were counterbalanced with warm textured carpet, wood look porcelain floor tiles and wood grain work surfaces.  With the majority of the walls painted a crisp white, the space proved to have great clarity. The historic “blue” of the Raymond James logo set the tone for the colour palette while maintaining their brand.

The small rectangular space was strategically divided up by a central “blue box” component; an office setting that defined the borders of the various working teams.  This allowed for the implied division of the teams, while creating directional corridors to the back of the space. Managing the staff from an older model to the newer team environment was achieved successfully where strategically filmed glass walls and sliding doors created way finding, privacy and collaboration at the same time. Open office planning and height adjustable tables maintained the functionality of the staff work habits. The plan focused on meeting the clients’ criteria of teamwork and collaboration, while still providing much needed private spaces.  The design team was encouraged to think out of the box whilst designing a traditionally formal type of office environment very successfully.