Anson Funds’ Toronto office brings a remarkable industrial sensibility to a 7,090-square-foot, high-pressure financial workplace. Designed by Figure3, the interior combines brick, hot-rolled steel, and natural light to give the space a distinctive professional character.
Anson Funds is a privately held alternative asset management firm established in 2003 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with an additional office in Dallas, Texas.
The Toronto workplace was designed following the company’s relocation to 181 Bay Street. Figure3 worked with the existing office geometry, using its angles and varying ceiling heights to organize the floor plan and distinguish the client-facing and staff areas.
Making the Layout Work With the Existing Architecture
The office’s existing angles were incorporated into the planning strategy, ultimately shaping the arrangement of spaces and giving the floor plan a less rigid configuration.
The workplace’s varied ceiling heights added another layer of definition to the layout. Its combination of low and high ceilings was maintained to establish a division between the front and back of the office, with a lowered-ceiling portal serving as the architectural marker between the client and staff areas.
By building on the office’s established architecture, Anson Funds was able to give each portion of the workspace its own unique spatial qualities.
The Portal Creates a Change in Scale
The lowered-ceiling portal is one of the key features of the design and creates a distinct transition point in the office. Passing beneath the lower section leads into the staff area, where the ceiling rises, and the space opens up.
The change is particularly noticeable as it occurs within a short distance of entering the office, just past the client section. The compressed portal gives way to a taller space occupied by open workstation desking, creating a clear shift in scale.
The sequence also gives the staff area a greater sense of volume and community, with the workstations arranged throughout the expanded space.
A Warehouse-Inspired Material Palette
Brick and hot-rolled steel are prominently featured in Anson Funds’ material character. The combination creates the “warehouse-like” aesthetic described by Figure3, bringing an unconventional material palette to a busy financial workplace.
Brick provides a masonry element with visible texture, while hot-rolled steel introduces a substantial industrial finish. The two materials carry much of the interior’s visual weight.
Natural light was another important component of the design process. The emphasis on maximizing daylight through expansive windows complements the material selection and enhances the workplace’s overall aesthetic.
Bringing the Design Elements Together
The strength of Anson Funds’ Toronto office lies in how several specific design decisions, taken from old and new, work together. Existing angles were maintained, as were varying ceiling heights to establish scale differences. The portal marks the transition between client and staff areas, while the brick and hot-rolled steel give the interior its warehouse-inspired character. To top it off, plenty of natural light makes a brighter space that supports a better atmosphere for staff and clients alike.
The design creates distinct areas and varied spatial qualities, while the material palette gives the office an iconic identity. Together, these elements give Anson Funds’ Toronto location a clear architectural character shaped by its materials, geometry, and layout.