Taking root among the green roofs and tree-lined streets of the Solar Uniquartier Brossard, Quebec, the recent head office of Bonduelle, a company specializing in healthy food, is designed by Lemay. Nicknamed Station B, in reference to its proximity to the Rem, it reflects a company rooted in plant culture and whose ambition is to become a Canadian leader in vegetable processing.
Lemay’s strategic relocation of this Quebec headquarters is an opportunity to develop a design adapted to the company’s new realities and ambitions. The result is a people-centered style, based on the needs expressed by employees and exhaustive analyses. Each of the building’s four levels has its own centralized area for relaxation and collaboration, while the design adapts to different work styles, optimizing performance by breaking down silos and creating synergies between previously geographically dispersed teams. Inspired by the metaphor of the tree and the interconnected system it represents, Station B has its roots in the first floor cafeteria, a gathering place that naturally hums with activity, dialogue, and nourishment for the body and mind. This reference space finds its extension through the trunk of a wide staircase surmounted by lush vegetation, and in the branched and private work areas that occupy the periphery of the windows and recall greenhouses because of their glass partitions. Just as Station B evokes the tree, the people within are its lifeblood, supported and nurtured by design tricks large and small. Comfort starts with the use of natural materials, such as wood, for a warm atmosphere, and optimized ventilation systems for a steady flow of fresh air. It is also expressed in the details: greenery is placed throughout the surfaces, lighting and furniture are chosen to promote well-being. Even the carpets draw bird’s eye views of fields.
