Great Offices: Google’s envy-inducing home base at Bay and Richmond
What: Google’s Canadian sales and marketing headquarters Where: A 1955 modernist building at Bay and Richmond How Big: 58,000 square feet over five floors for a staff of 150
When Google began planning its Toronto office, management asked their staff what their dream work space would look like. Which explains the mini-golf course on the 15th-floor terrace, the soundproofed room full of musical instruments and the retro arcade games scattered around the office (Pac-Man, Duck Hunt and others). Anyone who needs a quiet place to write or think can retire to the hidden lounge behind the library—pull the right leather-bound volume and the bookcase magically pivots open, Scooby-Doo style. But the staff favourites are the on-site gym with free towel service and regular visits from a massage therapist.
