FlightHub, an online travel agency serving over 5 million airline passengers per year, plans for expansion and thus decided to fully renovate their Montreal headquarters. They chose to takeover the entire 6th floor (12 800 SF) of the same building where their office was previously located, as they firmly believed in maintaining their work space close to the majority of their employees’ homes and to continue to support the local neighbourhood’s economy. The client was seeking a clever intervention that would personalize the standard office floorplate, offering a space they could identify with. To help bring the essence of who the company is to life, the project’s concept was derived from FlightHub’s three key elements: Technology, Travel and Tribes. These 3 T’s were bridged to create a layout and materiality that reflects both the digital world and the interstitial space of travel. The planning strategy reconciles the octagonal form of the existing building with a fresh design that functionally treats the employees’ everyday needs, such as control of noise levels, clear organization of programming and distinct team circulation, within the three strata concept. The hyper-efficient concentric layout strategically places gathering spaces around the central core and workstations concentrically along the outer perimeter. The inner common space is the heart of the project with an alluring dynamic that stimulates movement and promotes social interactions. The existing services core is wrapped in aluminum foam, an ecological, local, and acoustic product, whose light-weight quality nods at the aerospace industry. The functional millwork pieces are treated as particles that emerge from the central core and float through the space. The pure coloured zones correspond to various programs and function as a wayfinding device, delineating a clear circulation for visitors and employees alike. The curtains allow for flexibility, offering the opportunity to subdivide the open space into private zones that could be used for meetings or smaller events. The central zone leads to the four tribes (four main teams) that are independent from one another and individually secured. Each tribe is equipped with their own storage space, print room, kitchenette, phone booth and conference room. The open workspace is distinguished by its utmost timeless simplicity, using subtle changes in materials and tones to delineate zones. The challenge of bringing natural light into the central common spaces while creating an acoustic and visual buffer became a driving design opportunity for the project. Channel glass with an alluring solar finish allows light to filter from the exterior to the interior core, evoking the feeling of being in nature without permitting direct views into the office spaces. When in the open workspace, the central gathering space glows with colour and liveliness. The controlled air gap between the doubled channels provides an effective acoustic barrier between the public and private zones.
FlightHub Office
ACDF Architecture
Bronze

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Simon Goff
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Nic Granleese
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Frank Lee
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5
8
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Lorcan O'Herlihy
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7
7
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Tobias Geisler
Cofounder
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5
7
6
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Janne van Berlo
Founder
at Atelier van Berlo
7
8
7
5
6.75

Nathan Watts
Creative Director
at Interstore
6
6
7
6
6.25

Doris Sung
Principal/Director of Undergraduate Programs
at DOSU Studio Architecture/USC School of Architecture
6
7
7
6
6.5

Jeff Yrazabal
President
at SRG Partnership
5
6
6
5
5.5

Julio Kowalenko
Cofounder
at Atelier Caracas
5
7
6
5
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Akanksha Deo Sharma
Designer
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Location
Designer
Client
FlightHub
Floor area
1190 ㎡
Completion
2020
Designer
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