Bennett Jones: High-end legal office design

Making the decision to remain in their longstanding downtown Calgary space, occupying the top eight floors of Banker’s Hall East, Bennett Jones opted to transform their existing space rather than relocate.  

The goal was to provide a sophisticated, collaborative environment for their teams while enhancing the client experience, showcasing both their extensive art collection and spectacular city views. Reimagining the 25-year-old workplace involved coordinating phased construction across 160,000 square feet of occupied space with limited swing space. Over a 30-month timeframe, the renovation was carefully staged to minimize disruption to employees and clients. 

Working closely with a design committee representing the various areas of the business, our team led workshops and visioning sessions to develop a cohesive and responsive design strategy. A consistent planning footprint across all floors improves wayfinding, resource sharing, and supports modularity for future adaptability. 

Key to the transformation was consolidating all client meeting rooms into a single reception and conference floor. Two of the largest rooms open to adjacent spaces through double doors, allowing for a range of professional and social events to be hosted. The revitalized interconnecting staircase, updated to meet building code, is now wrapped in a sculptural ‘ribbon of wood’ millwork feature that spans all eight floors, while a suspended custom glass chandelier creates a new focal point.