SSENSE
Atelier Barda
Montreal, Canada
Atelier Barda has refurbished an old industrial space to expand the headquarters of the fashion platform SSENSE.
In an old textile-manufacturing neighborhood of Montreal, Atelier Barda has transformed a former logistics and warehouse space into headquarters for one of the market’s most influential fashion platforms. While providing the necessary functionality and expressing the firm’s minimalist identity, the project had to stay true to the original construction’s factory image, but stripping it of any ostentatious and superfluous finishes.
The Canadian retailer’s philosophy called for huge unobstructed spaces where the ingrained hierarchy of offices gives way to a set-up that fosters collaboration among different work teams. All the actions taken were designed to promote staff interaction, with ample hubs for informal gatherings, constant presence of plants and a collection of innovative furniture designed for the occasion.