Will Spectrum SQ Workers Be Happier?

Building one is nearly complete at Spectrum SQ, HOOPP’s uber sustainable 1.3M SF office campus. Its retail village is up and running, too. JLL SVP Michael Case explains why employees here could just be the happiest in all of Mississauga, nay, Peel Region.

Phase 1 at Spectrum SQ—at Airport Corporate Centre on Eglinton Avenue West just west of Highway 427—is a high-performance office space that Michael says is designed to increase employee productivity. Targeting LEED Gold, the 134k SF, six-storey building has raised-floor HVAC and individual climate controls; floor-to-ceiling windows (15-foot high ceilings in the sixth-floor Sky Lounge, where we snapped Michael); daylight harvesting; and flexible floorplates. “The two most important things to employees are access to natural light and fresh air,” he says. Spectrum SQ, open to tenants at month's end, has both in abundance.

The highlight of Spectrum SQ—with a stop at its front door for the Bus Rapid Transit line currently under construction on Eglinton (shown above)—is The Eatery, a 60k SF Shops at Don Mills-inspired plaza servicing both the area’s large employment base and, on evenings and weekends, the 100,000-plus residents within a 5 km radius of Spectrum SQ. During off-hours, the space, centred around a “collaborative square,” could host farmers markets, live music events and art shows, Michael suggests.

Workers on Spectrum SQ 1's second floor will have a private WiFi-equipped patio. And did we mention the permeable parking lot that harvests rainwater? “It filters it through a biofilter of sand and rock, and that feeds the plants,” 20 Vic Management’s Kyle Thorn explains. “I've never seen that before.” Spectrum SQ is the latest office project HOOPP’s done with Sweeny &Co Architects; others include 25 York St and AeroCentre V at Airport Corporate Centre. No tenants have been signed yet at Spectrum SQ, but Michael says there's been plenty of interest: "We have paper on a couple of floors."

Michael's confident that once Spectrum SQ 1 is operational, and prospective tenants can “tour, touch and feel it,” leasing will be a breeze (a 250k SF, five-floor second building will follow). Same goes for The Eatery, launching this summer. To date it has Starbucks, Subway, Teriyaki Experience and Veloce Italian Kitchen. And Goudy Real Estate VP Cory Rosen (snapped on site) says they hope to attract a high-end steakhouse and pub to enhance the plaza’s round-the-clock offerings. Medical offices and a hair salon are other possibilities.“Our goal is to bring the residential community and employment base together. We’re building a destination.”