The Vessel is an office renovation for a prominent financial firm in the 1931 landmark bank formerly known as the Canada Permanent Building. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto this heritage building is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco in Canada blending classical architecture with modern aspirations.

The office occupies the upper 2 floors stories. The 17th floor housed a neglected central hall flanked by a barrage of old offices and meeting rooms in various stages of disrepair and decline.

The design parti set to create the Main Hall as an object within the building. This required rebuilding the north wall and isolating it from the rest of the office. Careful reconstruction of the 100-year-old millwork was undertaken. Old doors were removed and enlarged, and new openings were created and framed with bronze thresholds. Original crystal chandeliers and arched plaster ceiling were restored with the original handmade plaster medallions and sculpted wreaths. In contrast, modern workstations were arranged in central bench formation running the length of the Main Hall, set on a bold carpet that offsets the classical language of the original architecture with its unapologetic abstract black and white composition.

The 18th floor turned a service space into new offices and a social hub featuring a bar and cafe. A golf simulator and rooftop terrace provide enticing experiences to help close lucrative business deals.

The ethos of the design was to take neglected moments of this historic building and restore them to new life, strategically inserting key modern elements such as bronze and system furniture, glazing and lighting. Our approach was about design restraint and as much about what we did not do versus what we did, embracing the history of the past with a seamless modern intervention that paves the way to the future.