PWL Partnership has shaped Vancouver’s public realm for nearly five decades — False Creek, Coal Harbour, the Olympic Village. Their office at 1201 West Pender deserved to reflect that legacy.
The full fifth floor was reimagined as a bright, open workplace that takes full advantage of sweeping North Shore mountain views and natural light that floods the space on three sides. The brief was clear: honour the firm’s design culture, bring the outdoors in, and create an environment that attracts the next generation of landscape architects.
The project carried an added layer of complexity — PWL was mid-rebrand as the design unfolded, requiring close collaboration to ensure every decision would hold up to an identity that was still being defined. The result is a space that feels entirely cohesive, as though the brand and the interior arrived together.
Custom environmental graphics designed by Māk run throughout, drawing directly from PWL’s own project iconography — topographic contour lines rendered across feature walls, and a bespoke installation distilling decades of the firm’s work into a single bold wallpaper. The new kitchen and lounge anchors the floor as a genuine gathering space, finished with zellige-style tile, a full-length marble island, and pendant lighting detailed to hospitality standard. Colour moves through the space with intention — forest greens, warm naturals, and considered accent tones that feel rooted without being heavy.
PWL has spent fifty years designing places that tell a story. This one tells theirs.