McKinsey & Company

Toronto, ON

Project Facts

  • Client

    McKinsey & Co.

  • Location

    Toronto, ON

  • Status

    Completed 1999

  • Size

    75,000 Sq. Ft.

  • Partner

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 sets out to establish an ideal workspace, embodying the concept 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 their 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.

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Project Facts

  • Client

    McKinsey & Co.

  • Location

    Toronto, ON

  • Status

    Completed 1999

  • Size

    75,000 Sq. Ft.

  • Partner

Select Awards

  • 2001 – Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Award of Excellence

  • 2001 – Toronto Construction Association ‘Best of the Best’ Awards

  • 2000 – National Post/Design Exchange Office—Gold Winner, Built Environments, Grand Projects

  • Full Awards List

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Physical Model Studies

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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.

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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.

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"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
"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
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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.

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.

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Original 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.

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.

Original Sketch by Siamak Hariri

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"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
"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
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Select Awards

  • 2001 – Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Award of Excellence

  • 2001 – Toronto Construction Association ‘Best of the Best’ Awards

  • 2000 – National Post/Design Exchange Office—Gold Winner, Built Environments, Grand Projects

  • Full Awards List