PepsiCo Canada Head Quarters
Missassagua, CA
For their new Canadian Headquarters, Pepsi was looking to bring together multiple divisions of their company together under one roof to create a harmonious and more streamlined campus. This project began right at the beginning of a pandemic, so the team had to quickly think on their feet and adapt to new ways of working. Weekly zoom meetings with Pepsi and their various departments were held to get to know them in this new, virtual way. Utilizing tools such as Miro, Enscape renderings, and virtual video walkthroughs to interact with the Pepsi team were crucial to keeping connected with a client on lockdown.
When it came to design, the Sasaki team was tasked with creating spaces that not only brought these various departments together, but let each brand and department keep their own identity and autonomy. Working with a company that has such a strong and recognizable brand, the space planning, materiality, and overall design needed to serve as a blank canvas to not overpower the brand. This challenge was accompanied by the ask to keep the space still interesting and not bland amongst such bold graphics and branding. To achieve this, Sasaki’s team came up with a concept that broke the space up enough to create individual moments and work styles yet still felt connected, like one harmonious space. The concept consisted of sliding “bars” throughout the 2 buildings that housed many of the heads down types of work. In between the bars were moments of celebration such as kitchenettes, beverage bars, and work lounges to weave joy and life into the more focused spaces. To take advantage of the large windows and views, workstations were placed amongst the perimeter of the space, this meant that the inner “heart” of the space was where people gathered and felt a sense of community. In terms of material and color pallet, a general gradient of greys were accompanied by pops of color taken from an overall look at Pepsi and their various brand’s color pallets. This neutral look with small moments of celebration really give the brand a place to sing without taking over the entire design.
