EWM HQ

In 2019, Grant White contacted us, letting us know that he just made an offer on a suite at 201 Portage, Winnipeg’s tallest office building at the time, and asked us to help him realize his vision for his new business, Endeavour Wealth Management.

Grant is an environmentally aware and economically conscious entrepreneur. His primary intention was to reuse the contents of the existing office as much as possible. We joined him to review what was available and provided him with an office space that suits his brand’s image and values. One of the goals was to achieve a ‘brand new’ feel, while still using some salvaged, reused and repurposed materials.

THE SCOPE

Grant asked us to retain most of the existing ceiling tiles, light fixtures, HVAC grilles, carpet, kitchen millwork, and some existing partition walls. This way, the project budget could be kept lean and focused on what mattered most for the business:

• A welcoming front desk and waiting area,
• Functional and productivity-inducing office rooms, and
• A spacious boardroom that overlooks the beautiful Downtown Winnipeg vista from their office on the 9th floor.

THE OPPORTUNITIES

While we were developing concepts for him to review, Grant informed us that one of the tenants on the upper floors had moved. We learned that the office assemblies they left behind were available for bargain deals.

Upon review of the available contents with our client, we noticed that the ceiling height glass panels and doors were very compatible with our preliminary design concepts. We suggested Grant that this would be a perfect opportunity to try incorporating these salvaged materials into their office design.

THE CHALLENGES

When we design, we always look for meaningful opportunities to salvage and repurpose unused or abandoned materials into the spaces we create for our clients. No opportunity, of course, comes without challenges.

In this case, the salvaged items came with the following difficulties:

•  The salvaged glass panels were almost an inch taller than Endeavour’s ceiling height. It wasn’t practical to lift the entire ceiling system up as needed. Since the panels were all tempered glass, you couldn’t simply trim them to fit into the space.
• The finish of the salvaged doors did not suit our client’s colour palette, and some had significant scratches and stained surfaces. We couldn’t use them as they are.

Salvaged materials are not always ready to install without any adjustments. They usually require some creative thinking to find the most optimum way to incorporate them into new buildings. To do this effectively, and not to compromise the project budget, we always collaborate with the builder to find the best solution.

THE SOLUTIONS

Working with Tractus Projects, the GC of the project, we came up with a ‘ceiling trough’ detail within the ceiling grid system. After a few try-outs we were able to fit all the salvaged glass panels into the design. For the door panels, we suggested a plastic laminate finish to re-surface all doors.

In conclusion, the outcome was a space that lined up with Endeavour WM’s values. We enjoyed being part of a start-up’s journey and getting a chance to help them realize their vision.