Headquartered in Montreal with an additional office in Vancouver, Versacom is Canada’s largest Canadian-owned multilingual translation company. They pride themselves on the professional service they offer to their clients, which include translation services, consulting and brand management adapted to all languages and cultures.
The challenges
With a lease expiring at the end of May 2022, Versacom’s leaders were considering moving to an adjacent building on McGill College, needing complete design and fit out in a short timeline. With increased staff numbers, they were nonetheless hoping to reduce their total office square footage and increase the common areas by moving to a hybrid office/work-from-home setting. An exit from the typically traditional, bulky corporate-looking furniture was of top priority.
The design concept
The newly designed spaces accommodate a variety of office styles to allow for activity-based working or hotelling. Multiple office zones allow separation between work groups and flexibility of size of project teams. There are many common areas, lounge spaces, and a large “free-trade zone” cafeteria and event space. With a global clientèle, the design theme includes names of the cities and continents in which Versacom does business. A focus was put on well-being and bringing the outside in, both with free flow of natural light from the large windows and a variety of plants and greenery. There is a tasteful blending of new, often home-styled furniture, along with a re-purposing of some existing furniture.
Services provided
Aquest Design partnered with Versacom to design and coordinate the architecture and construction of their space, to provide the storage solutions, dining, lounge and office furniture, design elements and gym equipment, as well as supply and install of an impressive green moss wall at the entrance!
As a turn-key design project, Aquest Design ensured that all final details were complete, including that computer screens were set up, and details like audio-visual, workstation electrical and data are ready for use.
The result
The Aquest team created a beautifully inviting and modern design that exceeded the client’s expectations and completely transformed the space.
“Throughout the project, which took place on a tight schedule, the team was available, attentive, responsive and very professional. It was a real pleasure to work with Aquest Design on this major project and if I had to do it again, I would do it again with them without hesitation.”
– Charlotte Leclercq – de Ladreit, Chief Financial Officer
