When relocating its Toronto headquarters to 195 The West Mall, Moneris, one of Canada's leading payment processing and commerce solutions providers, saw an opportunity to rethink the workplace experience from the ground up. Moving away from the heavily branded atmosphere of its previous office, the new workplace prioritizes employee experience, balancing wellbeing, collaboration, and choice within a refined architectural framework.
Occupying seven floors, the office is organized through a neighbourhood-based planning strategy tailored to the needs of individual departments. The approach creates an intuitive and agile environment where employees can easily locate colleagues, access shared resources, and move seamlessly between focused work, informal collaboration, and social interaction. A consistent technology platform, combined with a diverse range of meeting and collaboration spaces, supports mobility and flexibility throughout the office.
The design draws inspiration from the building’s distinctive curved architecture. Enclosed spaces are concentrated around the central core, preserving access to natural light and exterior views while allowing the building’s unique geometry to remain visible throughout. At the heart of each floor, a signature pill-shaped architectural feature establishes a recognizable design language. Wrapped in wood finishes, custom blue carpeting, continuous lighting, and Moneris blue ceiling accents, the feature serves as a subtle expression of brand identity while creating a consistent experience across all levels.
The concept is rooted in the idea of landscape, drawing on the qualities of parks and patios to create welcoming environments that support both individual and collective work. Green-toned collaboration zones, grass-inspired flooring, natural materials, and extensive planting introduce a strong biophilic character throughout the office. Floor-specific accent colours provide intuitive wayfinding while giving each neighbourhood its own identity. The result is an environment that feels warm, approachable, and connected to nature without relying on overt corporate branding.
The experience is intentionally differentiated between visitors and employees. The 11th floor serves as Moneris’ public-facing destination, bringing together reception, training facilities, meeting spaces, and hospitality-focused amenities. The remaining floors are dedicated to employee neighbourhoods, each supported by its own servery, lounge, and collaboration spaces. This consistent amenity strategy ensures that every employee has access to the same high-quality experience regardless of where their team is located.
Wellbeing and accessibility were fundamental considerations throughout the project. Dedicated wellness and first-aid rooms provide supportive spaces for staff, while barrier-free counters, accessible sink locations, universal washrooms, and barrier-free facilities help create an environment that accommodates a wide range of user needs. Real planting throughout further enhances comfort, connection to nature, and overall employee wellbeing.
Sustainability was embedded into the project through a comprehensive furniture reuse strategy. Hundreds of existing workstations and task chairs were retained and integrated throughout the new office, diverting approximately 108 tonnes of furniture from landfill and avoiding an estimated 324 tonnes of embodied carbon emissions. Select elements were refreshed and adapted to align with the new design language, demonstrating how meaningful transformation can be achieved through thoughtful reuse and renewal.
More than just a relocation, the new Moneris office reimagines how the workplace can support connection, wellbeing, and the diverse ways people work, creating a destination designed around the people who use it.
