Inside Wealthsimple’s new office, with a cozy library, sushi boats and free popsicles

Inside Wealthsimple’s new office, with a cozy library, sushi boats and free popsicles

_MG_6288

What: Digital investment service Wealthsimple’s Toronto headquarters
Where: The third floor of an industrial building at Strachan and Richmond
How big: 8,640 square feet for approximately 60 people

After the company’s King and Spadina office flooded in 2014, the team worked out of five different spaces (including one Airbnb rental) over the next two years. They finally settled into a beautiful Trinity Bellwoods building last May, and staff agree it was worth the wait. Hariri Pontariri architects designed the space, which has the industrial feel of a downtown loft, but with modern accents, like a state-of-the-art kitchen. Homey touches, including a library stocked with novels, windows lined with succulents and a freezer full of complimentary popsicles, make the nine-to-five grind as pleasurable as possible.

A large communal eating area and open-concept kitchen dominates the centre of the office. Here, staff snack on sushi boats (yup, all ordered lunches are free) or hold casual meetings:

_MG_6280
 

The kitchen and work spaces are divided by a library filled with books, board games (Jenga!) and some of the company’s awards. Staff are encouraged to stock the shelves with whatever they like:

_MG_6265
 

The library’s rug was the only piece of furniture or decor to survive the 2014 flood:

_02A8142
 

“If we took away the Ping-Pong table, there’d be riots,” says PR manager Rachael Factor:

_MG_6258
 

There’s a fridge dedicated to fun soft drinks:

_02A8220
 

And another one for slightly harder drinks:

_02A8222
 

The freezer might be one of the reasons staff complain about the “Wealthsimple 15”:

_02A8230
 

This fancy pour-over system looks more like a science experiment:

_02A8165
 

The bike rack is always well-used, and there’s even a shower for sweaty commuters:

_02A8136
 

Rows of succulents line the windows, bringing the outdoors in:

_02A8193