“Designing Shell Canada’s 240,000 SF HQ at The Bow: A Future-Focused, Sustainable Workspace Built for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Needs.”

HOK has led an extensive effort to relocate Shell Canada’s headquarters from Shell Centre (their home since 1977) to 240,000 SF of industry-leading office space in The Bow. The space features an activity-based, hybrid work environment that supports 1,000+ staff over six floors.

HOK’s work with Shell Calgary began a decade ago, developing a workplace strategy centered around transitioning from private offices to open workstations. This work resulted in a renovation to Shell Centre. More recently, Shell’s recent relocation to The Bow centered around transitioning from assigned workstations to unassigned workstations. 

Striving for collaboration and better spatial utilization, the workplace is designed to suit a progressive desk sharing model with over 35% of space allocated to collaboration. Comparatively, 30% of the space is allocated to traditional desking. By seamlessly aligning workplace strategy with design, HOK’s comprehensive approach to the project has set the Shell space apart from others within the same industry – a potential model for the future of work. 

Sustainability was a key driver for the project, with design decisions focused on reducing carbon emissions, promoting circularity, and minimizing life-cycle costs.  To achieve these goals, strategies such as adaptive reuse, sustainable sourcing, and LEED certification were incorporated. In addition to meeting tenant requirements, Shell proactively invested in base-building upgrades, further demonstrating their commitment to sustainability throughout the entire project. 

The Shell account showcases the successful partnership between HOK’s Calgary, Toronto, and Houston offices, where regional expertise, energy sector knowledge, and collective resources were seamlessly integrated to deliver the project.