McKinsey & Company Toronto

Toronto, ON

The corporate headquarters for McKinsey & Company, an international management consulting firm, serves as a paradigm of how strategic design can transform and enhance performance in business environments. The 75,000-square-foot, three-storey project was conceived to establish an ideal workspace, embodying the belief that creativity grows out of interactivity.

After researching 20 potential locations, a site was selected at Victoria University—part of the University of Toronto campus—setting the company apart from its competitors in the financial district. The building acknowledges and expands upon its cultural context by integrating campus planning traditions with innovative office design, fostering a spirit of collaboration and excellence.

Project Facts
Client
McKinsey & Co.
Location
Toronto, ON
Status
Completed 1999
Size
75,000 sq. ft.
Partner
Siamak Hariri
Selected Awards

2001 – Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Award of Excellence, Contract Documentation

2001 – Toronto Construction Association, Best of the Best Awards

2000 – National Post/Design Exchange, National Post Design Exchange Awards, Offices - Gold Winner Built Environments, Grand Projects

Physical Model Studies

The building became the youngest to be heritage designated in the City of Toronto—five years after construction—demonstrating the enduring cultural worth of craft and invention. Its architecture expresses a campus-like quality, but is also eminently adaptable to meet the changing requirements of the office culture within this ground-breaking firm.

"Siamak designed a building that is widely recognized as being one of the best new buildings in the city that has attracted unanimous praise from our clients."

—Ron Farmer, Former Director at McKinsey & Company, Toronto

The three-storey building’s exterior is comprised of cut stone, teak, and mahogany windows with copper detailing. The exterior materials are reflected throughout the interior palette.

Sketch by Siamak Hariri

The design redefines the conventional office with a new planning model: the Hive. This dynamic gathering space integrates the architectural essentials of light, form, and material into a three-storey, naturally lit interior court.

"At the end of the day, I think the McKinsey Building is proof that Architecture can transform the workplace, and design, when done really properly […] can be a completely powerful factor in the way people work, and in the productivity and the creativity that people have about these things. I have no doubt about that."‍

—Mehrdad Baghai, Former Partner at McKinsey & Company, Toronto