Heritage is the central design driver in this co-working interior

To mark this year’s Heritage week, the Awareness committee connected with Mahsa Saaedi, ARIDO from Arcadis, to find out more about an interesting project she and her team worked on for iQ offices. The interior is located at 302 Bay Street in a 1917 landmark and holds a heritage designation. This project showcases how a historic building can be transformed and adapted while preserving the original integrity of the interior through thoughtful and intentional design solutions that balance heritage conservation with modern workplace and coworking requirements.

iQ Offices at 302 Bay Street offers a compelling example of adaptive reuse in Toronto’s Financial District, transforming a historic 14-storey banking landmark into a contemporary co-working destination while safeguarding the building’s architectural integrity. Rather than treating heritage as a backdrop, the project positions it as the central design driver, allowing the character, craft, and ceremonial scale of the original
structure to shape a new workplace experience rooted in atmosphere as much as function.

At the heart of the project is the restoration and reprogramming of the iconic Banking Hall, reimagined as a hospitality-inspired social club. Original Art Deco detailing, from decorative plaster ceilings and monumental proportions to richly crafted material expression, has been carefully retained and elevated through restrained
contemporary interventions. Heritage finishes such as stone, marble, and metalwork are celebrated as authentic traces of the building’s legacy, while new elements are introduced with clarity and purpose, reinforcing the dialogue between past and present.

Arrival is intentionally choreographed. The Grand Lobby reads more like a luxury hotel than an office, anchored by a curated barista bar that activates the historic volume through ritual, warmth, and daily cadence. Vintage-inspired furnishings, layered lighting, and carefully scaled lounge settings soften the grandeur without diminishing it, creating a space that feels both timeless and distinctly current. A restored spiral staircase draws members upward to a mezzanine of semi-private lounges and meeting rooms. The third floor is dedicated to a conference suite designed for formal gatherings, board meetings, and high-impact presentations. Above, the building unfolds into flexible private offices and shared workspaces, supported by kitchens and amenities on each level.

Wellness and retreat are woven into the experience through hospitality-driven programming, including a fitness zone, a games room with a billiard table, and rooftop amenities that open to panoramic city views. In its full journey, from the Banking Hall to the rooftop, iQ Offices at 302 Bay reframes the workplace as a destination shaped by heritage, design, and experience, where history is not only preserved, but actively lived.

We’d like to thank Mahsa Saeedi, ARIDO and Arcadis for contributing the content for this post.

Project: iQ Offices at 302 Bay
Interior Design Team: Mahsa Saeedi, ARIDO, Heidi Rose, Erin Martinez, Queenny Bambose
Firm: Arcadis
Photography: Indigo Visual