Great Offices: an ad agency’s quirky John Street headquarters, complete with slide
By Frances McInnis | Photography by Derek Shapton
What: Grip Ltd., an ad agency with clients like Honda, Bell, Budweiser, Samsung, Labatt and Kokanee, among others
Where: A brick and beam building at John and Queen
How Big: 15,000 square feet on three floors for a staff of 150
A trip down the orange acrylic slide at the centre of Grip’s office is an unofficial rite of passage for new employees. It’s steep and slippery enough to thrill—Johnson Chou, who designed the space in 2006, almost went through the window opposite the base on the first test run and spent much of that night sanding down the surface to add some resistance. Grip’s office deviates from the average grey-carpeted, cubicle-filled workplace in other ways, too: the padded rubber reception desk resembles a giant tire, a nod to the agency’s automotive clients; the boardroom was inspired by a vintage beer fridge; and a fireman’s pole offers yet another fanciful alternative to the stairs. Staff have access to a range of quirky spaces for collaborating, areas built to resemble, variously, a sauna, a hot tub (with beer-filled cooler, of course) and a fast-food restaurant. If the place looks vaguely familiar, it may be because it was the backdrop for Kardinal Offishall’s “Turn It Up” video.
202948 Grip Limited’s office spans three floors in a brick and beam building on John Street just north of Queen (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-intro/ great-office-spaces-grip-intro 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202974 As a nod to the agency’s automotive clients, the plush reception desk looks like a giant tire (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-07.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-07/ great-office-spaces-grip-07 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202975 The all-white pod suspended from the ceiling is the reception waiting area. Its nickname: the Bubble (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-08.jpg 416 656 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-08/ great-office-spaces-grip-08 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202955 The cantilevered staircase had to be hoisted through a window in pieces and welded together on-site. The circular seating area below is modelled after a hot tub (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-04.jpg 416 656 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-04/ great-office-spaces-grip-04 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202954 Johnson Chou used industrial lighting and applied inexpensive materials like white AstroTurf, felt and carpeting to the walls to create cool sculptural effects (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-03.jpg 416 656 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-03/ great-office-spaces-grip-03 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202978 Felt circles on the walls of the studio also help to absorb sound (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-11.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-11/ great-office-spaces-grip-11 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202976 Chou spent a big chunk of the budget on the orange acrylic slide, which spans two storeys and gets a workout during office parties (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-09.jpg 416 656 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-09/ great-office-spaces-grip-09 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202977 The metal workstations have extra-low partitions in order to facilitate conversation (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-10.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-10/ great-office-spaces-grip-10 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202956 A series of futuristic meeting spaces on the top floor were inspired by the booths in fast-food restaurants. Both the floors and the ceilings are made of the same hardwood (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-05.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-05/ great-office-spaces-grip-05 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
202973 The Grip Limited sign slowly spins all day long (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: Grip Limited Great Offices: Grip Limited https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-office-spaces-grip-06.jpg 416 656 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-grip/slide/great-office-spaces-grip-06/ great-office-spaces-grip-06 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)